BROTHERS CONFLICT
by siennahime-sama
Summary: When her father decides to remarry, Hinata Ema suddenly has to live with her new brothers. There are 11 of them, with the oldest being a 31 year old pediatrician and the youngest is a 10 year old elementary school student.
1. Volume 1 Chapter 1-1

**Chapter 1-1: [ Since it became an unforgettable day ]**

On May 22, Hinata Ema is moving to Sunrise Residence, an elite apartment located in Kichijouji, Tokyo. Her mother passed away soon after giving birth to her, and her father, Hinata Rintarou, is a famous adventurer. Rintarou is going to remarry with a well-known apparel maker named Asahina Miwa, so starting from today Ema will live with Miwa's children — her new brothers. In front of the apartment building, a young boy nearly runs her over with his bike. Soon his big brother comes to apologize, and Ema thinks about how nice it would be to have siblings. Little did she know that both of them are two of her new brother.

When Ema goes to greet her new brothers, the one who opens the door for her is Ukyou (_2nd son, lawyer_), and Kaname (_3rd son, Buddhist monk_) instantly hits on her. The boy from earlier is Wataru (_youngest son, 5th grader_), and the man who apologized to her is Masaomi (_oldest son, pediatrician_). Soon Tsubaki (_5th son, seiyuu_) comes and sticks to Ema — instantly trying to satisfy his 妹萌え — but luckily Azusa (_6th son, also a seiyuu_) stops him from harrassing their new sister. Tsubaki and Azusa are identical twins, though they have completely different personalities. Ema also meets Iori (_10th son, 3rd year high school student_), Subaru (_9th son, university student_), and lastly Yusuke (_11th son, 2nd year high school student_) — the last one being Ema's classmate at school. They almost have a fight because Yusuke keeps saying he won't accept Ema as a sister, but Masaomi calms them down by stuffing candies straight into their mouths. xD The day ends with Tsubaki repeatedly asking Ema to call him "onii-chan", and she thinks about how it would be an unforgettable day for the rest of her life LOL.


	2. Volume 1 Chapter 1-2

**Chapter 1-2: [ The morning when I learned everything ]**

The next day, Ema finds Kaname and Subaru in the living room — resting after their morning road walk. Just like the day before, Subaru is really quiet and won't even greet her properly, so Ema wonders if she did something that made him angry. Ema goes to help Ukyou cooking breakfast for everyone after that, and that's when Rui (_8th son, hairdresser_) suddenly appears out of the blue to touch her hair. He tells her that she's good at arranging her hair, and he also promises to give her a nice hair treatment next time.

During breakfast, the TV shows a famous idol named Asakura Fuuto, and the brothers start talking as if they know him. Ukyou starts thinking about what kind of souvenir they should ask Fuuto to bring home next, Tsubaki and Azusa are saying that he's not good at singing, while Wataru points out that he's good in dancing. Iori notices that Ema seems confused, and so he explains that Fuuto (_12th son, junior high student and idol_) is their brother too. "Asakura" is his stage name, and he's often away from home because of his busy schedule.


	3. Volume 1 Chapter 2-1

**Chapter 2-1: [ The timing is too bad ]**

On June 22, exactly one month after Ema started living with the brothers, the shower in Ema's room is broken and she goes to take a bath on the 5th floor instead.

**9 PM:**  
Ema finds Tsubaki and Azusa talking in the living room. They say suspicious things which are hinting about a forbidden relationship between siblings, and this causes Ema to get the wrong idea about their relationship. (○´ﾟωﾟ｀):;*.':;ﾌﾞｯ Afraid that she might disturb them, Ema decides to leave the 5th floor for now.

**12 AM:  
**Upon returning to the 5th floor, Ema notices that someone is sleeping on the sofa. After taking a closer look, she realizes that it's actually Fuuto. She's surprised since it's the first time she ever saw an idol directly, but then suddenly he wakes up and treats her like an intruder. Even after Ema explains who she is, Fuuto replies by saying she's so stupid for approaching a guy when he's sleeping. Fuuto also calls her "stupid big sister", and Ema leaves the living room in anger. The smiling image of "Asakura Fuuto" in her mind has been destroyed into pieces.

**5 AM:  
**No one's around so early in the morning, so Ema finally takes a bath on the 5th floor and walks out of the bathroom only wearing a towel — ignoring Juli's (her squirrel) warning. Just as Juli fears, Ema then runs into Subaru — who's only wearing his underwear — in the kitchen LOL. It appears that Subaru always walks around in his underwear after training, and today is no exception.. except he forgot that Ema is now living with them. (* ´艸`)ｸｽｯ Subaru turns deep red and only stares at Ema until Juli eventually rages, so she runs away and takes Juli out of the living room before anything happens.


	4. Volume 1 Chapter 2-2

**Chapter 2-2: [ How it feels to be protected ]**

During breakfast, Rui suddenly glances at Juli and asks if he's not talking today.. which really confuses Ema because nobody other than her can hear Juli's voice. For other people, he only squeaks like a normal squirrel whenever he's talking. Things are still awkward for Subaru and Ema, so he eats his breakfast really fast and leaves as soon as he's done — clearly avoiding her. Since Tsubaki and Azusa are still being ラブラブ this morning, Ema bluntly asks about their relationship. ﾌﾟｯ(※థэథ)∵.*.∵ Tsubaki jokingly answers they're dating, but eventually they explain that they were only practicing last night. Tsubaki will be voicing a drama CD about a forbidden relationship, and Azusa was helping him by acting out the younger sister's role.

Ever since she moved to Sunrise Residence, Ema has to take the train to school. The train is always packed in the morning, so the brothers tell Yusuke to walk to school with her already. Even though they're living together now, they never actually go to school together. He even told her not to call his name at school, because people will be suspicious if she suddenly calls him "Yusuke-kun" instead of the usual "Asahina-kun".. but eventually Yusuke agrees to walk to school together. The train is packed as usual, but Yusuke protects Ema from the morning crowd. They're standing really close to each other since the train is full, and he's blushing the whole time. (๑´ლ`๑) Ema thanks him when they finally get off, and Yusuke runs off to class while still blushing.


	5. Volume 1 Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: [ The lips that spun love ]**

In July, everyone goes to Miwa's private island for summer vacation. Ema wears a bikini to the beach, which causes Subaru to go Σ(〃д〃) upon seeing her.. then he gives her his parker and tells her to wear it. Kaname, on the other hand, wants to see some skin and tries to take off the parker instead. 8D When Wataru asks why he's trying to strip Ema, Kaname answers that he'll wait until the kids go to sleep at night — upsetting Wataru for being treated as a kid. On the beach, Rui builds a sand miniature of Taj Mahal until he eventually faints on top of Ema. It turns out he can't stand the heat, and he always faints whenever they visit the beach every year. xD While Tsubaki and Azusa are helping Ema to carry Rui away from the beach, Yusuke and Subaru are having a swimming race in the sea, and Iori is studying with Fuuto near their cottage. When Ema comes to approach them, Fuuto says they're both busy with a lot of stuff — unlike a certain flat-chested, stupid girl. Of course he's referring to Ema, and she instantly rages even though she does admit that her chest is flat. ﾌﾟｯ(※థэథ)∵.*.∵ Iori quickly stops Fuuto from insulting Ema any further, but since Fuuto clearly has no intentions to apologize to her, Ema storms off in anger before it turns into a fight.

Not too long after that, Masaomi asks if anyone has seen Wataru. He's nowhere to be seen, so they all split up to search for him around the island. Ema goes with Kaname to check the back of their cottage, and when it starts raining along the way.. Kaname suddenly hugs Ema to keep her warm. This causes her to feel all ﾄﾞｷ(*´・ω・`*)ﾄﾞｷ inside, until eventually Tsubaki comes to inform them that Wataru has been found. It turns out Wataru only went to take a nap without telling anyone, and he's really upset when everyone keeps calling him a kid.. so Ukyou decides to punish Wataru by asking him help preparing dinner tonight. If he doesn't want to be treated like a kid, then he needs to take responsibility like an adult. They're all drenched thanks to the rain, and Ema pulls Subaru's wet clothes saying she'll wash it as a sign of gratitude for the parker.. which only causes him to go Σ(〃д〃) again LOL.

At night Ema takes a walk along the beach, where she meets Kaname again. Despite his usual cheerful demeanor, she notices that he seems different tonight.. and somehow she thinks this might be the real him. Just then a big wave splashes onto Kaname, and when Ema laughs at him, he pulls her into the water too. Here, she notices that he has a cross-like sword tattoo on his right collarbone. When she asks him about it, he only gives her a vague answer that pen is mightier than sword.. but there's something that's even more powerful than pens or swords — it's love. As Kaname whispers those words into Ema's ears, he suddenly pulls her closer and kisses her on the lips. Juli can only rage in the background until eventually Ema snaps to her senses and runs away from Kaname.


	6. Volume 1 Chapter 4-1

**Chapter 4-1: [ Fever, dizziness, and spinning around ]**

At the end of August, Ema caught a cold and has a slight fever. Wataru finds her looking for medicines in the living room, so he tries to nurse her by following the rules of "aegu / あえぐ" (literally means "to moan"). "A" is for "_atatamaru_" (get warm), and Wataru takes out his own bedcover to the living room in order to keep Ema warm. "E" is for "_eiyou_" (nutrition), so Wataru takes out all the food in the fridge until Ema decides to share an ice cream with him — though she feels bad for Ukyou. xD Wataru can't remember what "GU" stands for, so he decides to spin around with Ema thinking it's "_guru guru mawaru_" (spin around) — definitely wrong LOL.

Eventually Masaomi comes to the living room, and upon seeing them spinning around, he asks if they're dancing together LOL. When Wataru explains that he's trying to nurse Ema with the rules of "aegu", Masaomi is shocked and asks who taught him that word. Apparently it was Tsubaki, and Masaomi shows a frightening silent rage upon learning about this. xD Masaomi then examines Ema's condition, but since he doesn't bring any thermometers, he decides to take her temperature by putting his forehead against hers. (๑´ლ`๑) Ema gets really nervous because of this, and she accidentally lifts her shirt too high when Masaomi asks her to show her stomach. He blushes too upon seeing her bra, and especially because she goes "んっ…!" when he touches her stomach. (*ﾉ∀ﾉ)ｲﾔﾝ He says she should be okay if she gets enough rest, and he flees from the living room out of embarrassment LOL. At the end of the day, poor Wataru gets scolded by Ukyou for making a mess in the living room. ﾌﾟｯ(※థэథ)∵.


	7. Volume 1 Chapter 4-2

**Chapter 4-2: [ Next time too, will be greater ]**

After hearing that Ema caught a cold, everyone comes to visit her. Yusuke gives her some medicines, though he got deceived by Tsubaki and ends up giving her a suppository instead. Y⌒Y⌒Y⌒Y⌒Y⌒Y⌒(。A。)ｱﾋｬﾋｬﾋｬﾋｬ! Rui puts a get-well-soon letter under her door, Subaru leaves some ion drinks on her door handle, and Iori buys a bouquet of sunflowers just for her. Juli doesn't approve though. He thinks everyone has hidden motives, and he just can't trust any of them. Not even the gentle Iori, because sunflower means "I'm always looking at you" in flower language. Not too long after Iori leaves, Kaname also comes and gives Ema a cake.. but since Ema is clearly avoiding him, Kaname asks if she's angry about the kiss. She thinks he can kiss any woman whenever he wants to, but he tells her that she's wrong. He doesn't just kiss anyone, and he kissed her because she's cute — she made him want to kiss her. Kaname says he wants to have a greater kiss after she recovers, so despite everyone wishing for her to get well soon, Ema is now really afraid of recovering.


	8. Volume 1 Chapter 4-3

**Chapter 4-3: [ The reward, asked and stolen ]**

On the last Saturday of August, Tsubaki and Azusa invite Ema to their live event. She couldn't go out and play recently because she was sick, so they're hoping the event can at least give her some good summer memories. Both of them are doing an incredible job at entertaining their fans, and Ema feels really proud to have great brothers like them. After the event ends, Ema suddenly receives a mail from Tsubaki — telling her to come to their dressing room. Right after she walks in, a half-naked Tsubaki suddenly hugs her and kisses her cheek as a reward for entertaining her today. He actually wants to kiss her on the lips, but today he'll hold back since Ema is resisting and Azusa is glaring at him. Then he kisses Azusa's cheek too so the latter "won't get jealous" lol.


	9. Volume 1 Chapter 5

**Repeat #001 – Side Yusuke: [ If you scream to the night sky ]**

Looking back at their first meeting, Yusuke admits that he actually fell in love with Ema at the first sight. He first saw her in spring of their first year, but they were in different classes back then. His love only grew stronger over time, and they were finally placed in the same class on their second year. Tsubaki actually knew that Ema will be their new sister, but he didn't inform Yusuke on purpose — simply because he loves teasing Yusuke. This causes Yusuke to get a strange feeling, and he started imagining various いちゃいちゃ situation with their new sister.. though he apologized to the girl in his delusions because his heart only belongs to Ema.

On May 22, Yusuke actually talked to Ema at school, but he didn't know until much later that she's going to become his new sister. He returned home late because he was summoned by their homeroom teacher, and he was shocked to see her when he got home. Even though he harshly warned her not to call his name at school, Yusuke is actually worried that Ema might be angry because of his attitude towards her.

That night, Yusuke goes down to visit a convenience store. He meets Azusa in the elevator, and they find Ema with Iori on the first floor. Yusuke is surprised to see them together, but Iori calmly explains that he was guiding Ema around the area and showed her the locations of the 24-hour convenience stores nearby — just in case she ever needs anything. At first Yusuke actually felt lucky to live with the girl he loves, but now he realizes that he's dead wrong. He's surrounded by extraordinarily strong rivals: the princely Iori, the attentive Azusa, the frivolous Tsubaki, the flirty Kaname, and even a famous idol like Fuuto. As Yusuke screams "I won't hand Hinata over to anyone! I won't lose!" in his heart, Azusa holds his shoulder saying this is the difference between popular guys and non-popular guys.


	10. Volume 2 Chapter 5-1

**Chapter 5: [ Touching bodies, touching lips, missing hearts ]**

Towards the end September, Ukyou asks Ema to bake a cake for Subaru's upcoming birthday party. Subaru is turning 20 on September 21, but since it falls on a weekday, they're going to celebrate it on Sunday instead. After buying the ingredients on Sunday morning, Ema returns home to find someone lying on the 5th floor hallway. Σ(Д｀|||ノ)ノ It turns out to be a very tired Rui, and he was too sleepy to walk to the sofa.. so he just slept on the floor. (○´ﾟωﾟ｀):;*.':;ﾌﾞｯ Rui can't attend the birthday party because of his job, but he went back home just to arrange Ema's hairstyle for the event. (*´∀`*) Fuuto also comes home looking for Rui when the latter is away searching for a curling iron, and upon seeing Ema with her new hairstyle, he suddenly says she's really beautiful. Then he laughs and mockingly asks if she feels like a princess just by changing her hairstyle LOL. Congratulations Ema, you just got trolled. ＼(^o^)／ Despite his insults, Fuuto actually calls Ema "beautiful big sister" before leaving.

During the birthday party, Iori stops Kaname from hitting on Ema and asks why she changed her hairstyle. When she answers it's because Rui arranged it for her, Iori seems relieved that she's not dressing up on purpose — though she doesn't understand why. Subaru is blushing nonstop by the edge of the table, but when Ema gives him a slice of his birthday cake, Subaru quietly thanks her for for making a cake for him.. and Ema is happy thinking that everyone has accepted her as a member of the Asahina family. Those who are over 20 — the legal age for alcohol in Japan — have a drinking party after that, while Masaomi brings the underage ones out of the living room.

However, Ema soon realizes that she left her phone in the kitchen. When she goes to retrieve it, she overhears Tsubaki teasing Subaru about how he feels towards Ema. Tsubaki notices that Subaru is falling in love with Ema, and he also mentions how Subaru is thinking that Ema changed her hairstyle for him today. When Tsubaki says he can help creating an opportunity for the shy Subaru to confess, Subaru snaps and says Ema's presence is troubling him. After she came to live with them, they have to be careful when using the bathroom, he can't walk around in underwear anymore, and he ultimately calls her a nuisance. Subaru then walks out of the living room to wash his hands and notices Ema standing in the hallway, but she quickly runs away and cries alone in her room.

Late at night, Ema returns to the living room and finds Subaru sleeping on the floor. He's drunk, but upon seeing her, he immediately apologizes for what he said and asks her not to hate him. Subaru then starts feeling dizzy, and Ema tries to catch him when he falls down.. but it results in him falling on top of her instead. (*ﾉ∀ﾉ)ｲﾔﾝ He falls asleep right before he can confess to her, but he kisses her a second before floating off to the dreamland. Tsubaki and Azusa have to drag him away from Ema since she's trapped underneath, and even though she cries from the shock, she explains that it was only an accident. The next morning, Ema goes to the living room and finds an unknown man who's wearing a thick black, white and red make-up — just like a heavy metal band member. There are "demon", "the worst" and also "women's enemy" written all over his face, and when the man asks her not to look at him, Ema realizes that it's actually Subaru. Tsubaki and Azusa gave him a extreme makeover as a punishment for what he did to Ema. ﾌﾟｯ(※థэథ)∵.*.∵


	11. Volume 2 Chapter 5-2

**Several days after #005 – Side Subaru:** **[ Nothing below, endless above ]**

Now do you think the kiss was an accident? No, it's not. For the last few days, Subaru keeps thinking about Ema and how soft her lips were. He's really distracted during a practice match in university, and after doing several mistakes in a row, eventually he faints after getting hit by the ball — right in the face. On the way home, Subaru goes to think alone by the riverside. He actually has been thinking about Ema ever since Yusuke brought her to watch his match one day, and her presence really brought out the best in him. Moreover, Subaru can never forget Ema's smile when she praises his performance. He knows he'll get removed from the regular team because of what happened today, and a harsh mail from a certain someone only makes his mood even worse. The mail calls his performance "the worst", but Subaru then decides to think from a different perspective. He can't fall any lower if he's "the worst", so all that's left is only for him to climb back up.


	12. Volume 2 Chapter 6-1

**Chapter 6-1: [ Still a far-off dream** **] **

At the end of October, Ukyou mentions about Miwa and Rintarou's wedding party next month. Tsubaki and Azusa are going to sing at the party, and Tsubaki asks Ema to choose some nice wedding songs for them to sing. Ema then goes to rent some wedding song CDs after school, and she runs into Fuuto-in-disguise in the DVD corner. He quickly tells her not to call his name since it'll blow his disguise, but she completely forgets this warning in only a minute and loudly asks "Fuuto-kun, are you going to appear in a drama?" (´・ω・`；) Obviously people start staring and whispering around them, so Fuuto thrusts the DVDs into Ema's hands and runs off after telling her to rent those DVDs for him.

When Ema returns home, Fuuto asks her to let him watch the DVDs in her room. His room is incredibly filthy at the moment, and he sadly says that he really wants to watch them today.. because he rarely has any free time thanks to his busy schedule. Fuuto refuses to sit on the floor, and so the two of them end up sitting on Ema's bed as they watch a movie about mafia gangs together. When the ending credits roll by, Fuuto tells Ema that he wants to become an actor. He doesn't have much chance to practice acting because of his job, so he's using his free time to watch DVDs and observe his favorite actor's acting skills. Fuuto also wonders if it's too late for him to start acting, and Ema cries for him because he looks really sad. Fuuto is surprised for a moment, but then he hugs Ema's shoulder and apologizes for not realizing how beautiful she is.

Before they can do anything, Yusuke suddenly comes knocking on Ema's door. He only wants to inform her that Masaomi will come for their parent-teacher meeting, but he's shocked to see Fuuto in her room. It doesn't help that Fuuto tells him they're just "staying on the bed together", and Ema explains it's because Fuuto doesn't want to "do it" (read: sit) on the floor. Obviously this causes Yusuke to get the wrong idea, so he instantly drags Fuuto out of Ema's room LOL. Fuuto says goodbye and asks Ema to "enjoy" their time together again later, and Yusuke gags him before he can say anything more seductive.


	13. Volume 2 Chapter 6-2

**Chapter 6-2: [ The distance which delivers feelings ] **

****Despite what Yusuke said before, the one who comes for Yusuke and Ema's parent-teacher meeting is actually Kaname since Masaomi is sick. In her future career form, Ema stated that she wants to go to Meiji University.. and so Yusuke decides to do the same even though his grades are rather poor. The reason is because Meiji University has a faculty that she likes and it's close from Sunrise Residence, but Kaname asks if she wants to follow Subaru — who's attending Meiji university too. The question reminds Ema of the kiss again, but she brushes off the thought thinking it was only an accident. Ema's grades are much better than Yusuke, who needs to take supplementary lessons everyday, but Kaname thinks she might need a private tutor because the entrance exams might be more difficult this year. He's willing to become her tutor, but since she coldly refuses, he apologizes for kissing her back in summer. However, Kaname wants Ema to know that he truly loves her and cares about her. If she doesn't want him to teach her, then he's going to introduce her to a reliable tutor.


	14. Volume 2 Chapter 6-3

**Chapter 6-3: [ If it's something that shouldn't be touched ] **

****The "reliable tutor" Kaname was talking about turns out to be Ukyou, and Ema goes to study in his room. Ukyou is smart and good at explaining, so it doesn't take long until Ema understands everything he explains. Just then Ukyou receives a call from his client, and Ema tries solving the problems alone until she eventually gets stuck on a difficult question. Since Ukyou hasn't returned yet, Ema decides to take a look around his room until he comes back. Among all the bookshelves in the room, somehow the small shelf in the corner pique her curiosity the most.. and there she finds an old notebook from Ukyou's school days. An old picture falls out of the book when she flips through the pages, and it shows a younger Ukyou standing side by side with a beautiful woman. Just when Ema wonders if it's his ex-girlfriend, Ukyou comes back and says she's really rude for rummaging through his stuff without permission. Then he tells her to get out, saying he has nothing to teach her.

When Kaname finds Ema later, she's wandering near the elevator and looks like she's about to cry. He then takes her for a walk outside, and she tells him what happened with Ukyou. They both know that it was completely Ema's fault, but Kaname tells her not to worry. Ukyou won't be angry for a long time, and one day Ukyou himself will surely tell Ema the reason why he got angry. Kaname wonders whether Ukyou is keeping the old picture on purpose or not, but he doesn't tell Ema anything. He tries to hit on her again after that, saying that he can be her tutor instead.. and he can teach her stuff she doesn't learn in school. (*ﾉ∀ﾉ)ｲﾔﾝ As the answer, Ema runs back to their mansion and leaves Kaname alone.


	15. Volume 2 Chapter 6-4

**Chapter 6-4: [ The wind is blowing ]**

The next morning, Ukyou asks Ema to help him prepare breakfast before she can apologize to him. Noticing that Ema seems sad, Iori gives her an invitation ticket for Bright Centrair's school festival. He picks her up when she comes to his school gate, and he also guides her around the school area — though she feels terribly intimidated because his fangirls keep whispering whenever they see her standing beside Iori. Ema then says she'll just go home because she feels bad for Iori's girlfriend, but Iori answers that he doesn't have one — in a surprisingly low voice. The wind suddenly blows Ema's hair to cover her sight, and when she finally gets them out of her face, she realizes that Iori is staring straight at her without even blinking.

Not knowing how to react, Ema then decides to stay for a little longer and visit Iori's class cafe next. The visitors can take pictures wearing Bright Centrair's uniform, and one of Iori's female classmates guides Ema to the changing room. As Ema is changing inside, she suddenly asks about Ema's relationship with Iori.. and when Ema says she's Iori's new sister, she mentions about how Iori still hasn't moved on from what happened back in junior high. Of course Ema doesn't know what Iori's classmate is referring to, but she doesn't think it's something she can ask him so lightly. After taking a two-shot picture with Iori, Ema goes home because Iori has to help out in his class cafe. The moment she takes a look at the picture, a shocking realization suddenly hits Ema. She looks exactly the same as the woman in Ukyou's old picture.


	16. Volume 2 Chapter 6-5

**Chapter 6-5: [ Me and you and the other one ]**

After receiving the song list from Ema, Tsubaki and Azusa are discussing about which song to sing in the wedding. Soon both of them receive a mail saying a certain someone will come to the wedding, and Azusa mentions that it'll be the first time that certain someone meets Ema. Tsubaki is more interested about what would happen if that someone meets Subaru though.


	17. Volume 2 Chapter 7-1

**Chapter 7: [ The vow to stay by her side ]**

On November 23, everyone's getting ready for Miwa and Rintarou's wedding party. Rui's busy since he needs to do Miwa's hairstyle and make-up, but he still takes some of his spare time to arrange Ema's hair. (*´∀`*) By this point Ema is extremely confused why Rui keeps calling her "Chii-chan" instead of her name, since the only one who calls her "Chii" is Juli. Upon arriving at the hotel, Ema runs into Kaname — who tells her that he went to talk his father's grave earlier. His father really loved Miwa until he died 10 years ago, so Kaname was asking him to watch over Miwa without feeling jealous. Kaname believes his father will be happy to get a beautiful daughter though, and he thanks Ema in his father's place. Inspired by Kaname, Ema also asks her mother in heaven to give Rintarou her blessing.

Before the ceremony begins, Ema goes to the chapel and meets an unknown man who looks strangely familiar. The man chases her out thinking she's an outsider, but soon Tsubaki and Azusa comes to explain that they're all siblings. The man is actually their triplet, Natsume (_7th son, salaryman_), and he looks familiar because he has the same eyes as Tsubaki and Azusa. Natsume came from a different egg cell, and that's why he doesn't look identical to the twins. Despite his rough attitude from earlier, Natsume shyly introduces himself to Ema when Azusa asks him to. He also reveals that he came so early to the chapel because.. he got lost.

When Ema goes to see Rintarou, she also finds Miwa in his dressing room. Miwa gets excited and says they will be making Ema's wedding dress next, and she asks if Ema likes any of her sons after living together for six months. As for preferences, Miwa personally recommends Masaomi. (。-∀-)ﾆﾋｯ Unable to answer the question, Ema flees from the living room and sits in a random sofa in the lobby — where she hears Natsume talking to Subaru behind her. The one who mailed Subaru after the practice match was actually none other than Natsume, and Subaru gets pissed when Natsume keeps criticizing his performance. Subaru wants Natsume to leave him alone, because the current Natsume is only a salaryman and nothing more. Upon seeing Ema behind them, Subaru asks Natsume to leave them alone. He apologizes for kissing her, but when she says it was only an accident, he clearly tells her that it was definitely NOT an accident. Subaru is about to confess to Ema again, but he gets interrupted when Yusuke comes to inform them that the wedding ceremony is about to begin. Yusuke isn't pleased that Ema won't tell him what they were talking about, but he decides to let it slide for now.

During the party, Miwa gives her wedding bouquet to Ema and wishes for her happiness — preferably with one of her sons. Ema keeps thinking about Subaru's words though, and soon Natsume comes asking if she has any ideas why Subaru made so many mistakes in his last practice match. Of course she knows it must be because of the kiss, but she decides to keep quiet because it's not something she can tell other people. Before leaving the hotel, Natsume gives Ema his business card and asks her to call him if she knows anything. Ema is surprised to see that Natsume is actually working in her favorite game company, and Natsume promises to give her free game samples next time.

Since Ema is noticeably tired, Masaomi eventually decides to drive her back home along with Wataru — who's fast asleep in the back seat. When Ema asks if he doesn't have any plans to get married, Masaomi tells her that Wataru doesn't remember their father's face. He died when Wataru was really small, but Miwa said that Masaomi resembles their father the most.. and so Masaomi decided to become a father figure in Wataru's life — making sure that Wataru won't be lonely as he grows up. This reminds Ema about how she doesn't have any memories with her mother either, and she starts crying.. because she feels glad that Wataru doesn't have to suffer from the same loneliness. Masaomi hugs Ema as he apologizes for making her cry, and he promises to always stay by her side so she won't be lonely anymore. |壁|ｮ･_･*)ｷｭﾝｯ+｡* They're both blushing upon realizing how close they are, and Masaomi panics since the traffic light already turned green. When Wataru eventually wakes up, he gets jealous that Masaomi is getting along _really_ well with Ema — which only adds to the latter's panic.


	18. Volume 2 Chapter 7-2

**Several days after #007 – Side Masaomi: [ Because there are no secrets ]**

With Kaname's help, Masaomi awkwardly informs Ema that he's going to attend a matchmaking soon. He's afraid she would get angry because he already promised to stay with her, but he suddenly feels complicated when she congratulates him instead. The woman he's meeting up with is the daughter of the hospital director, and she has taken a liking on him ever since he saved her friend from an emergency situation. Her friend got something stuck on her throat, but she begged the doctor not to do an operation because her friend is a singer — her throat is really important. Masaomi managed to solve this issue without performing an operation, and the hospital director's daughter was really impressed.. even though the reason why Masaomi knows alternative solutions is because he can't stand blood and operations. (○´ﾟωﾟ｀):;*.':;ﾌﾞｯ Masaomi couldn't refuse the matchmaking offer since it came directly from the director, though his answer has been decided right from the start.

After the matchmaking is over, Kaname calls Masaomi and goes to see him in a bar. Kaname then asks about Masaomi's future plans for his upcoming engagement and marriage, but he's shocked when Masaomi reveals that he actually refused. When he said his answer has been decided, he actually meant he was planning to refuse right from the beginning. The reason is simple: because he already promised to stay with Ema. He only told her because he doesn't want to hide anything from her. (* ´艸`)ｸｽｯ When Masaomi calls Ema and informs her about this, she's really surprised because she already made a cake to celebrate.. though he doesn't mind and says they can eat the cake together. As Masaomi walks home, he feels extremely relieved. All of those complicated feelings have disappeared from his heart.


	19. Volume 3 Chapter 8-1

**Before #008 – Side Louis / Rui: [ The one who protects what he wants to protect ]**

Past noon, Rui wakes up feeling hungry. He was busy yesterday and didn't eat anything at all, so he goes to get some food from the 5th floor. Sadly everyone is away since it's a weekday, and Rui lies down in a sofa after drinking a vegetable juice. Soon it starts raining outside, and Rui suddenly hears a squirrel's cry nearby.. which comes from a drenched Juli trying to open the window from outside. Rui opens the window for Juli and tries to pick him up, but unable to trust the brothers, Juli rages and tells Rui not to touch him with those "dirty hands". However, Juli is surprised when Rui replies with "I washed them earlier, so they're not dirty." Why yes, Rui can actually hear Juli's voice like Ema. He doesn't know the reason though, and he's more interested in drying and brushing Juli's wet fur instead.

As Rui gently brushes his fur, Juli happily says that Rui is really delicate — he's different from all the other men in this house. Rui seems taken aback and asks if he's really that different, but realizing that Juli's words don't have any deeper meaning, he changes the subject by asking if Juli hates his brothers that much. When Juli explains that the others are just like beasts lurking in a savanna — eyeing Ema as their prey — Rui realizes it must be tough for Ema since she suddenly had to live with them. Juli is delighted when Rui says he needs to protect Ema, explaining that he's been waiting for someone like Rui to appear. When the sun starts shining again outside, Juli and Rui shake hands — marking the birth of the "Protect Chii-chan Club".


	20. Volume 3 Chapter 8-2

**Chapter 8:** **[ The best voice in the world ] **

Because of what happened before, things are still awkward between Ukyou and Ema. In the evening, Masaomi calls Ema to inform her that he's staying in the hospital tonight. He feels bad for being away so much despite his promise, though he's relieved that she's more concerned about his health instead. Ukyou, on the other hand, is clearly bothered that Masaomi calls Ema instead of him, because usually everyone would inform him and not Ema if anything happens.

Right after Ukyou leaves, Yusuke and Kaname come to eat dinner. Kaname starts flirting with Ema as usual, but that's only until Juli and Rui comes to stop him. Juli rages and mentions that Kaname did something to Ema during their summer trip, and this causes Rui to repeat "Kaname nii-san, what did you do to Chii-chan? Was it something you can't tell us?" until Kaname gets extremely terrified and flees from the living room. (○´ﾟωﾟ｀):;*.':;ﾌﾞｯ Obviously Kaname is really surprised because Juli was the only witness, and so does Ema. When Rui tells Ema that he's now a part of the "Protect Chii-chan Club", Yusuke suddenly asks if he's allowed to join in as well. He says he wants to protect her too, but sadly he instantly gets rejected by Juli — who starts attacking him saying he's just the same as Kaname. xD Ema bombards Juli with a lot of questions after that, so Juli explains about what happened between him and Rui. Kaname also calls Ema to apologize for earlier, but since Juli hijacks the phone and screams at Kaname until he hangs up.. Ema goes to play a game she received from Natsume instead LOL.

The game Natsume gave her is an insanely difficult RPG which never got released, and Ema quickly gets stuck at the first boss. The story is really interesting though, and curious about how to proceed, Ema mails Natsume asking for some advice. The next day, Natsume replies saying he'll give her the game data and asks her to meet him in a cafe after school. The cafe is full of OLs and housewives — who absolutely LOVE gossiping — and Ema blushes when they start whispering about how her "boyfriend" is already working. (๑´ლ`๑) Natsume is completely unaware though, and he thinks Ema's turning red because she's got a fever LOL. As he sorts out the game data for Ema, Natsume explains that he always clears the game he worked on, and so he feels sad that the RPG he gave her won't ever hit the market thanks to the difficulty level. Just then Natsume receives a call from Azusa, asking if he knows where Tsubaki is. It seems like Tsubaki hasn't returned home since yesterday, and Natsume wonders if it's because he's shocked.

From Natsume, Ema learns that Tsubaki decided to become a seiyuu because of an anime he really loved in the past. Recently it was announced that the anime will have a sequel, and so Tsubaki immediately applied as a cast candidate. The producer gave him a positive response because he's popular, but unfortunately he didn't get chosen.. Azusa did. Ema knows Azusa must be feeling terrible because of this, but Natsume says Azusa needs to answer people's expectations — it's his responsibility as a pro. After leaving the cafe, Natsume walks Ema to the station and wraps his muffler around her neck. He tells her it's an early Christmas present from a "lonely big brother" to his "lonely little sister", because both of them has absolutely no plans for Christmas.

Upon returning to the mansion, Ema finds an unhappy Azusa by the entrance hall. She tries to get him inside since he might catch a cold here, and when he says a cold won't be a problem, she points out that he has a new anime to work on. Azusa keeps saying that he's planning to refuse the offer because it's "Tsubaki's role", but Ema encourages him to take the role instead — because she loves his voice. She also says he would only betray everyone's expectations if he refuses, but he only replies by saying he'll get angry if she continues. However, Azusa turns silent when Ema tells him that Tsubaki won't be happy if he gives up the role out of pity. Besides, there's no guarantee the producer will choose Tsubaki anyway. It's not up to them to decide the roles. Then suddenly, Tsubaki appears behind them saying Ema already told Azusa everything he wants to say. He reveals that he's been thinking about how to convince Azusa all night, and that's probably why he disappeared from home. Tsubaki then tells Azusa to take the offer, because he doesn't want anyone but Azusa to voice that role. When Tsubaki says he's Azusa's no. 1 fan, Azusa finally agrees and promises to do his best — calling Tsubaki "nii-san" instead of his name. Tsubaki hugs Azusa, and they make a pinky promise.

After that, Tsubaki takes Ema for a walk in the park. He admits that he's actually disappointed about the role, but he knows Azusa's acting skills are superior than his. In fact, things have always been that way between the two of them. Tsubaki often invites Azusa to do various things together, but Azusa always does a better job and surpasses Tsubaki in every single area. Tsubaki asks if Ema loves _him_ as much as she loves Azusa's voice, but Ema doesn't fall for it and answers that she loves _his voice_ too. Even though she doesn't know much about acting, Ema thinks Tsubaki has a wonderful voice — that's why his fans are always excited during his live events. Ema then tells Tsubaki not to think about how Azusa is better than him, because she wants Tsubaki to be himself.. and she believes there must be a role only Tsubaki can do. For a moment Ema notices that Tsubaki looks happy and sad at the same time, and the next second, Tsubaki suddenly kisses Ema on the lips. He says a guy needs one kiss from a cute girl when he's feeling down, then he kisses her again. Definitely not just "one" kiss.

However, Tsubaki soon notices that Ema is wearing a men's muffler when he hugs her. Ema couldn't tell him that it was from Natsume, especially since Tsubaki then says it pisses him off and tightens his arms around her.


	21. Volume 3 Chapter 9-1

**Before #009 – Side Wataru: [ How adult men date ]**

On December 31, Wataru visits Fuuto asking about "how to date a woman" LOL. He's going to turn 11 in only a few days, and he wants to become Ema's boyfriend by then because turning 11 means he's already an adult. ヽ(*´ー`*)ﾉ Fuuto is dead tired and has to work again starting from tomorrow, so he slams the door shut in front of poor Wataru's face.. but Wataru keeps pestering him until he eventually gives up. ﾌﾟｯ(※థэథ)∵.*.∵ Fuuto only gives him a piece of advice: "candy or cane", but keep "cane" as the default. Sweet words only feel sweet if you hear them every once in a while, so only praise the girl once out of ten times. Other than that, be harsh and call her "バカ" or "ウザイ" all the time. Y⌒Y⌒Y⌒Y⌒Y⌒Y⌒(。A。)ｱﾋｬﾋｬﾋｬﾋｬ! Fuuto also warns Wataru that it only works for good-looking guys, but Wataru's already gone.

After leaving Fuuto's room, Wataru meets Tsubaki in the elevator. He's carrying a mountain of eroges (because he collects _all_ the tokutens) and tells Wataru that a man can't be considered an adult yet before he knows 萌え LOL. It's impossible for Wataru to have an 妹萌え because he's the youngest, so Tsubaki suggests developing a tsundere 萌え instead — explaining that tsundere means "cold at first and turns hot later." ＼(^o^)／ Upon reaching the 4th floor, they also meet Kaname who mentions that money can never buy love.. but he can't approve those who get into relationships with absolutely no money either. Money is also necessary in order to date a woman. From everything he learned today, Wataru concludes that there are 3 things necessary in order to date a woman: "candy or cane", "tsundere" and "money". Wataru then finds Ema gaming in the living room, and he immediately tries practicing what he learned.

First, Wataru decides to "be cold" by turning down the air conditioner temperature so much he sneezes on the spot. ﾌﾟｯ(※థэథ)∵.*.∵ Following Fuuto's advice, the next thing he does is to call Ema "バカ" and "ウザイ" nine times in a row — even though it breaks his heart to insult his beloved big sister — and he ends the "candy or cane" session by telling her "Onee-chan, you're so wonderful. I love you." (○´ﾟωﾟ｀):;*.':;ﾌﾞｯ Wataru then raises the temperature to "turn hot", and he slaps a 1000 yen note onto Ema's cheek — saying money is more important than love in this world. xD Of course Ema is confused, and when she asks if someone taught him about all of this, Wataru accidentally reevals that he asked Fuuto, Tsubaki and Kaname. Ema then tells Wataru that she loves his usual self better. Even if he grows up and turns into an adult someday, Ema wants Wataru to be himself rather than forcing himself to act like an adult. Wataru says he understands, and he happily agrees when Ema invites him to play the game with her. He now thinks that she loves young boys instead of grown-up men, and this makes him even more determined to become her boyfriend next year.


	22. Volume 3 Chapter 9-2

**Chapter 9: [ The snow piling up on lamenting shoulders ]**

On the night of January 2, Tsubaki suddenly asks everyone to go snowboarding together. The weather forecast says tomorrow will be perfect for snowboarding, and Masaomi thinks it's a good idea since Wataru is turning 11 tomorrow — the trip will be a wonderful birthday present for him. After inviting Natsume to join them, Ema and the brothers go to the Naeba Ski Resort in Niigata. Not all of them though, because Iori and Fuuto are busy with entrance exams, Rui has to work, Subaru has practice, while Ukyou stays at home to take care of them. Tsubaki leaves to buy a drink for himself and Ema when they arrive, and not too long after that, Natsume also arrives with his own car. He asks if she can buy a warm tea for him since it's really cold, and ignoring his protests, she takes out her wallet saying she'll pay for his drink. Ema notices that Natsume looks surprised for a moment, but before she can figure out what's going on, a thief suddenly pushes her down and steals her bag. Natsume quickly catches Ema before she hits the road, and he chases after the thief with an amazing speed. In less than a minute, Natsume already retrieved the stolen bag and gives it back to Ema. Even though he had to run around, she notices that he's not running out of breath at all. ヽ(*´∀`*)ﾉ Knowing that Ema is shocked, Natsume gently tells her to forget what just happened — everything is alright now.

Natsume then notices that Ema is wearing his muffler, and Ema says she loves it because it's really big and warm. Unfortunately, Tsubaki returns at the same time and hears everything. He doesn't even bother hiding his jealousy, and he tells Natsume that he's incredibly pissed about the muffler. Tsubaki doesn't say anything else when their brothers come to pick them up, but he keeps avoiding Natsume as they go snowboarding together. It doesn't help that Natsume is really good at snowboarding, and Ema is really impressed as she watches him sliding down the snowy course. Tsubaki keeps clinging to Ema after that, and noticing that Yusuke wants to teach her how to snowboard, Natsume asks Tsubaki to visit the advanced course together. Tsubaki coldly refuses and goes back to the service area instead, saying he can never follow Natsume's pace.

After dinner, Yusuke takes Ema to the top. She's a bit afraid since she's still learning, but he promises to guide her slowly through the course. Ema notices that Yusuke looks really happy when she agrees, though he tries to hide it and tells her not to look at him. (❤ฺ￫艸￩) Sadly the weather gradually turns worse, and things get out of hand when Ema suddenly lost control of her snowboard. Instead of taking a quick turn and following Yusuke, she slides way past the turning point, crashes into the safety net and falls out of the course. Σ(Д｀|||ノ)ノ Her bad luck continues as she gets buried under the snow, and she can't move until eventually someone comes to save her. He pulls Ema out of the snow, and she catches a glimpse of gold before realizing that it's actually Kaname. Since Ema sprained her right ankle, Kaname lifts her up and carries her back to the hotel. Despite her cold attitude towards Kaname ever since he kissed her, Ema actually feels relieved and falls asleep in his arms.

In the hotel, Kaname asks Masaomi to examine Ema's sprained ankle. Luckily it's only a sprain, but Ema notices that Kaname looks sad when he smiles at her. It's the same expression as the one she saw back on Miwa's wedding day, when Kaname told her about his father. Kaname says he doesn't want to see misfortune falling upon his family anymore, and he leaves Ema in Masaomi's hands. It seems like it's snowing in Tokyo too, and he wants to call home because he's worried about Iori. Not too long after Kaname walks away, Masaomi sadly whispers that he's really unreliable. He can't take care of their household like Ukyou, he doesn't have time to help Iori and Fuuto with their studies, and he couldn't protect Ema despite his promise to stay with her. Masaomi also says that Kaname is always so reliable whenever necessary, and he can understand why Kaname is really popular with the ladies. On the contrary, Masaomi feels sad knowing he can never help a lady in need like Kaname.

Upon hearing this, Ema says it's true that Masaomi and Kaname are different.. but Masaomi's presence always makes everyone feel safe. At first Masaomi thinks Ema is only comforting him, so Ema explains that he might not realize this, but everyone always asks about Masaomi whenever they don't see him in the living room. Even earlier, Natsume was relieved when he heard that Masaomi is also here in the ski resort. Ema then says that Masaomi is like the roof of the Asahina family. Normally people won't realize how important the roof is, but the roof is always there to protect them from the weather outside.. and they feel safe just by having the roof around them. After a moment of silence, Masaomi finally smiles and hugs Ema's shoulder — saying he feels happy to hear those words.

After taking a bath, Ema runs into Azusa in the lobby. As he sits down across of her, Azusa informs Ema that he already accepted the role. He says it's all thanks to her, because if she didn't open his eyes back then, he would have refused the offer and betrayed everyone's expectations in him. Azusa also apologizes for getting angry that night, and when Ema asks him not to apologize, he smiles saying she's a strange person. He was surprised when she slapped some sense into him during their argument, so he can't believe the humble girl in front of him is the same person. Azusa realizes that he never really talked to Ema in private before, and he wonders what he's been doing in the last six months. When Azusa asks if she loves watching anime, Ema answers she only watches a moderate amount.. but she often hears his voice in games. She gets really excited as she explains that minor games have quite a lot of contents too, and he laughs saying her fiery side is showing up again. Azusa promises to let Ema know if he voices more games in the future, and they return to their room to celebrate Wataru's birthday with everyone else.

The moment they enter the room, they immediately see Tsubaki and Wataru fighting over the chocolate on Wataru's birthday cake. Tsubaki says this world is about survival of the fittest, and that's why Wataru should give up on the chocolate. However, Tsubaki is surprised when he sees Azusa and Ema together. Azusa explains that he talked to Ema when he went to the bath earlier, and Tsubaki takes it as Azusa talking to Ema as they took a bath together. xD He sadly says Azusa is betraying him too, and Wataru stabs his wound of jealousy by saying "Tsukkun, I know! This is what you meant by survival of the fittest!" ﾌﾟｯ(※థэథ)∵.*.∵ As the result, Tsubaki gulps down Wataru's birthday chocolate and complains about how bitter it is.

Since the weather is still bad and shows no signs of improving, everyone decides to go home instead. They stop by the Omiya Hachiman-gu shrine on the way home, where they pray for health and prosperity for the upcoming year. When Ema tells Natsume about what happened between Tsubaki and Wataru, he says Tsubaki used to cheat too when they played together in the past. Whenever Azusa got angry, Tsubaki always impersonated anime characters and Azusa would smile again. During the Shichi-Go-San festival, Tsubaki did a solo performance on top of the staircase and gathered quite a lot of audience. Of course the shrine owner got really angry, and both Azusa and Natsume got scolded too even though they were innocent. Soon after Natsume goes home, Kaname comes asking if they were having a date.. and this conversation ensues:

**Ema:** "Yes, that's right. It was a date."  
**Kaname:** "Ah, that's so mean. You're saying that even though you know how I feel? Could it be that you're picking on me? I'm not into that sort of thing, but.."

..but Ema already walks away.

Ema then goes to buy some charms, and Kaname's expression suddenly changes when she says she's buying exam charms for Fuuto and Iori. He asks why would she do something like that for Iori, and he seems relieved when she answers it's simply to wish them good luck for their entrance exams. Obviously Ema realizes that Kaname seems really concerned about Iori, and she also notices how Kaname refers to his brothers with nicknames like "Tsuba-chan" or "Fuu-chan".. but with Iori it's simply "Iori". Kaname then asks Ema to return to the car right after she buys the charms, because he doesn't want any accidents to occur. As Kaname walks to their car, Ema notices that his back looks like it's calling for help.


	23. Volume 3 Chapter 9-3

**Repeat #009 – Side Azusa:** **[ Lightheaded, dizzy because of that body ]**

Upon returning to their hotel room, Azusa finds a sad Yusuke inside. Yusuke is really upset because Ema got hurt when she was with him, so Azusa tells him to just stay with her.. but he says she's currently taking a bath. Azusa then decides to take a bath as well, and as he soaks into the hot water, he looks back at what has been happening recently. The producer of the anime was delighted when he accepted the role, and Azusa is ready to do his best for Tsubaki's sake too. While he accepted the role because of Tsubaki's words, Azusa is aware that he probably would still refuse if Ema didn't open up his heart. Just then Natsume enters the bath too, warning Azusa not to fall asleep in the bath or else he'll start feeling dizzy. xD It turns out Natsume doesn't know why Tsubaki is in a bad mood today, so he asks if something happened to Tsubaki. Natsume also explains that it all started when Tsubaki found out about the muffler, and it's more than enough for Azusa to figure out the reason. Here, Azusa feels strangely irritated as well though he doesn't know why. When Natsume asks if he accepted the role, Azusa even explains that it's all thanks to Ema for encouraging him. He knows it's not necessary to let Natsume know, but somehow he just can't stop himself from doing it. Azusa then leaves the bath, while Natsume still wants to stay warm for a little longer.

On the way back to their room, Azusa finds Ema sitting alone in the lobby. She seems rather concerned about her sprained ankle, and when she bends down to touch it, he can see her calves showing through her hotel yukata. It was then when Azusa's heart suddenly takes a leap, and even though his heartbeat instantly returns to normal, he realizes it's a sensation he has never felt before.


	24. Volume 3 Chapter 10

**Chapter 10: [ From white to black, and the light shines ]**

On Saturday, Ema wakes up at 10 AM still feeling sleepy. She spent all night playing an action game from Natsume, and she falls asleep in the living room after eating breakfast. Eventually she wakes up upon feeling something warm on her shoulder, and she opens her eyes to find Yusuke standing really close to her. He apologizes for waking her up, and she realizes that he put a warm blanket on her — so she won't catch a cold. Ema is shocked to learn that she's been asleep for 3 hours, and she asks how long has he been around in the living room. When Yusuke answers it's around one or two minutes, Fuuto suddenly comes out saying that's a lie. Fuuto actually wanted Ema to bring some food to his room, but since she was asleep and didn't answer her phone, he went to the kitchen and found her fast asleep in the living room. That was 20 minutes ago. 10 minutes later, Yusuke returned from his supplementary lessons at school, panicked upon seeing Ema asleep, and has been staring at her ever since.

As Yusuke blushes and desperately asks him to stop, Fuuto turns to Ema saying it's her fault for sleeping in the living room. He asks if she's doing it on purpose, though he understands if she wants everyone to see her sleeping face. Fuuto then says Ema looked really cute when she's asleep, so much that Yusuke tried to attack her in her sleep. It's actually only a joke, but Yusuke immediately grabs Fuuto's collar and tells him to take those words back. Fuuto keeps provoking Yusuke though, which only causes Yusuke to rage even more until eventually a tired Tsubaki comes and asks them not to be so noisy. He just returned from Osaka, and all he wants to do know is to have a peaceful sleep. Since Tsubaki won't allow Yusuke to rage any further, Yusuke then tells Ema that he really didn't do anything.. and Ema answers she knows. Fuuto is amused to see Ema trusting Yusuke that much, and he tells them to enjoy their ラブラブ high school life while they still can. Because starting from spring, he's going to give Ema an exciting school life as a present. Before leaving, Fuuto also insults Tsubaki by saying he sells well in the entertainment world because he can act — unlike a certain seiyuu who can't even act properly. After Fuuto is gone, Tsubaki suddenly punches Yusuke's head in silence, while poor Yusuke asks Tsubaki not to take it out on him LOL.

Three days later, Ema receives a call from Ukyou after school. Iori is taking the entrance exam to Jouchi University — his first choice — today, and Ukyou is wondering if Ema can pick him up. Ukyou was planning to go, but he's got an urgent issue to take care of. Ema agrees, but she finds it weird how both Ukyou and Kaname are so concerned about Iori. Especially when Ukyou tells her to wait the central station instead of going to the university. The station is full of people though, so Ema ends up going to the university anyway because she's afraid she might miss Iori in the sea of people. After waiting by the gate for a while, Ema eventually finds Iori among the crowd. Iori also smiles when he sees her, and Ema feels happy thinking Iori's exam must have gone well. However, Iori's eyes suddenly turn empty the moment he reaches the gate.. and he whispers "it's not her.." before collapsing to the ground. Ema is shocked and calls Ukyou immediately, and he directs her to a certain hospital. He mentions that Iori used to stay in that hospital, so it might be better if they can get the same doctor to take care of him.

Not too long after that, Kaname comes to the hospital and apologizes for troubling Ema. Now that she already saw what happened to Iori, Kaname thinks Ema has the right to know about Iori's past. Back in junior high, Iori had a girlfriend named Shiraishi Fuyuka. He took her home a few times, and Kaname says they used to look really happy together. They were planning to enter different high schools, and their entrance exams fell on the same day. After she's done with her own exam, Fuyuka went to wait for Iori in front of his school gate — just like what Ema did today. It was a really snowy day, and Iori quickly ran towards the gate when he saw her.. but then a passing car suddenly slipped on the snow and hit Fuyuka right in front of Iori's eyes. It was instant death. Ema feels terrible knowing she has revived Iori's past trauma, but Kaname tells her it was only a coincidence. It's not her fault. It took quite a long time, but Iori eventually managed to get back on his feet and started going to school again. Sadly it doesn't mean he has fully recovered. After what happened today, Kaname finally realized that Iori still needs time to get over his past, so he asks Ema to leave Iori alone and watch over him from afar for now. Ema says she understands, and Kaname asks her not to forget it. It's extremely important.

That night, Kaname is staying over at the hospital. Ema is worried since Kaname seems to be really tired recently, so she decides to stay with him. He falls asleep on the lobby chair around midnight, and worried that he might catch a cold, she goes to ask for a blanket from the nurse station. From the nurse, Ema learns that Iori is actually awake and has been wanting to see her. The nurse asks if Ema can see Iori because he won't sleep at all, so despite Kaname's warning earlier, she agrees and goes to visit Iori in his hospital room. The moment Ema walks in, Iori apologizes for troubling her and Ema also apologizes for reminding him of the accident. Iori sadly says it's really pathetic of him to get stuck in the past, and he actually wants to move on.. but he doesn't know what to do. There are also times when he thinks moving on means betraying Fuyuka, but in the end he decided to keep living without her. Feeling sad for Iori, Ema asks if there's anything she can do for him. Iori asks if she's willing to stay by his side until he finds the answer, and Ema says she understands. She actually wants to say "because we're a family", but suddenly light returns to Iori's empty eyes as she asks if he can trust her. Once again, he asks if she will really stay with him forever. She has no choice but to answer yes, and she notices how happy he looks upon hearing her answer.

Just then a panicked Kaname suddenly enters the room, and he asks why Ema went to see Iori even though he already told her to leave Iori alone. The moment Iori hears this, his voice suddenly turns cold and he takes his silver cross necklace from the side table — pointing the edge towards Kaname. Iori asks why does Kaname keep getting in his way, and whether the cross alone isn't enough. Kaname only asks Iori to forgive him, but he says he will do anything necessary in order to save Iori. Kaname then presses the nurse call button and quickly takes Ema out of Iori's room, but Ema can hear Iori saying "Thank you, I won't forget your answer.." as she walks out.

Two days later, Ema goes shopping with Ukyou. Ukyou feels bad for asking her to pick up Iori, though he doesn't know about what happened between Kaname and Iori after that. He also apologizes for the awkward atmosphere between them, but Ema actually feels glad because their relationship finally returns to normal. On the other hand, Kaname isn't around as much as he used to. Usually he would come sticking to her like a glue, so it bothers her if he suddenly disappears like this. Realizing that Ukyou took her to go shopping because he's worried about her, Ema feels really touched by the warmth of her family.. and she cries happy tears on the way home. Of course Ukyou is surprised, but before Ema can explain anything, suddenly they hear a voice saying "Oh, there's a bad lawyer who made a girl cry." When they turn around, they find a tall, flashy, long-haired woman standing behind them.

Ukyou instantly turns ( ಠ_ಠ ) and asks what she's doing here when she's supposed to be in Italy, but the woman says she just came home. She asks Ukyou to help carrying her luggage, and when he refuses, she asks if Ema is really okay with a narrow-hearted "boyfriend" like him. After taking a closer look at Ema, the woman realizes that she looks really similar to Reiko — the woman in Ukyou's old picture — whom she describes as the woman with "the worst personality in the world". She says Ukyou's taste in women doesn't change at all despite all the painful memories he had, but Ukyou quickly answers that she's wrong. Ema is their sister. Feeling confused, Ema then asks about the woman's identity, but she answers that she's not a woman. She, or rather.. he, is Hikaru — the 4th son of the Asahina family.


	25. Volume 4 Chapter 11

**Chapter 11: [ The cherry blossoms dance, the heart cries ]**

After school, Ema meets Hikaru on the train home. He gives her an expensive chocolate and explains that he received it from a man who's trying to seduce him, but the chocolate will only be a bother since he still has more places to visit. Hikaru then says he has one small request for Ema, and noticing that she looks hesitant, he assures her that he's not plotting anything evil — he only wants to go flower-viewing tomorrow. Ema invites everyone to go flower-viewing when she gets home, and Ukyou gladly accepts because everyone is free tomorrow evening. Besides, it's a nice idea to relieve stress. Especially for Fuuto and Iori, who just finished their entrance exams, and also Kaname, who's been looking really tired recently.

Ema helps Ukyou preparing their meal the next day, and he teaches her how to cut a beef by holding her hands from behind. |壁|ｮ･_･*)❤ Ukyou admits he's happy to cook together with Ema, but sadly it only lasts until Hikaru suddenly appears asking why are they いちゃいちゃ-ing here. xD He heard Ukyou saying "That's it, you're good. Now continue." to Ema earlier, and he thought they're doing something dirty. (○´ﾟωﾟ｀):;*.':;ﾌﾞｯ Hikaru also mentions that Ema is far better than Reiko when it comes to personalities, which means that Ukyou has finally stopped looking at women just based on their breast size LOL. Ukyou obviously rages and says Hikaru is also a pervert who loves crossdressing, but Hikaru calmly answers it's necessary for his job. When Ukyou says he doesn't have any ulterior motives, Hikaru points out that the back of his neck was red when he was holding Ema's hand earlier. (❤ฺ￫艸￩) Just then Juli suddenly jumps into the kitchen, and he rages at the "immoral big-breast-loving lawyer" by stomping on their raw beef with his squirrel feet.. so in the end everyone goes flower-viewing with only vegetables in their bento boxes.

Yusuke and Wataru keep protesting about the lack of meat, and afraid that Ukyou would snap anytime, Ema says she'll buy something from the convenience store. Subaru suddenly gets up too saying he'll go with her, which really shocks everyone since _that_ Subaru is making a move on Ema. Along the way, Subaru tells Ema that he has an important match coming up soon, and he wants her to come and watch him play. At first Ema is reluctant because Subaru looks so serious, but she eventually agrees when he says that he wants to win in front of her. Upon hearing her answer, Subaru hugs Ema saying he was actually thinking of giving up on inviting her.. but he feels glad to have asked her out properly. He quickly lets go and apologizes, then he goes home right after taking the food back to their brothers.

Not too long after Subaru left, Rui comes to see Ema with a lot of cherry blossom petals on his hands. He says it's a present from the wind to her, and he arranges her hair using the petals to make her even more beautiful. When Ema returns to the brother's place, Hikaru reveals that he's actually a noir novelist under the pen name of "Asakawa Hikaru". The main characters in noir novels are mostly criminals, and Hikaru always collects the necessary data directly from real criminals.. who are usually men. That's why he's dressing up as a woman whenever he approaches them, and he even lived with one of them in the past. Before Ema could recover from the shock, suddenly they hear Tsubaki singing karaoke nearby. He's surrounded by a lot of middle-aged ladies, and Fuuto moves to the lake since he can't stand the noise. However, Tsubaki then introduces Ema as his "girlfriend" to the entire audience and makes it really clear that they have kissed before. Σ(Д｀|||ノ)ノ Everyone is shocked upon hearing this (except for Hikaru who finds it interesting), and Yusuke instantly rages at Tsubaki saying he can't forgive this. Natsume tries to stop Yusuke from going wild, but since Yusuke keeps on resisting, they end up falling into the lake instead — dragging poor Fuuto along with them.

Late at night, Masaomi tells everyone that it's time to go home. Noticing that Ema wants to stay behind with Kaname and Hikaru, Masaomi asks Ukyou to let her stay. Knowing that Ukyou is worried about Ema, Masaomi tells him that Kaname is always thinking about Ema. He cares a lot about her, and despite him being a frivolous flirt, he would never do anything to harm her. Hikaru is impressed since Masaomi has become much more reliable now, and when he asks if something happened while he was away, Masaomi answers it was Ema who changed him.. which only causes Hikaru to develop more interest in Ema. Soon after Masaomi and the others go home, Iori comes and apologizes for being so late. He was busy with work earlier, but he's happy to see that Ema is still waiting for him. Kaname quickly interrupts saying they're here as a family, and Iori can't have a date with Ema today since Hikaru and him are also present. Iori doesn't care though, and he replies that they're indeed a family.. but blood relations don't have any meaning in his eyes. Upon hearing this, Kaname tells Ema to ignore Iori and asks Hikaru to take her home. When they arrive at the mansion, Hikaru notices that Ema is still thinking about Kaname and Iori. He assures her that Kaname will take care of Iori, and he knows really well that nothing dangerous will happen between those two. For now. Hikaru is more interested in Ema herself, because he's starting to see why his brothers are falling in love with her.


	26. Volume 4 Chapter 12-1

**Chapter 12-1:** **[ The storm that shakes eyelashes ]**

After dinner, Wataru is watching his favorite anime on TV. The main sponsor is a travel agent which recently selected Fuuto to star in their TV commercial, and Yusuke keeps changing the channel because he can't stand seeing Fuuto's face everytime. xD While Wataru and Yusuke are busy fighting over the remote control, Masaomi asks Ema if she wants to stay in the hotel from the commercial. This shocks Yusuke and Ukyou because it sounds like an extremely bold invitation, but Masaomi is actually thinking of traveling overseas with everyone in summer — not alone with Ema. He only asked her because he wants to make her happy. (๑´ლ`๑) Ema mentions that she doesn't have a passport, but they explain that she can get one easily if she prepares the necessary documents.

Soon Iori walks into the living room, and Ema notices that he got a haircut. The first thing he does is to ask if she likes his new hairstyle, and he also asks if she's good in English.. because Jouchi University gives high marks for English in the entrance exam. Ema doesn't understand why he suddenly brings up Jouchi University, but Iori doesn't give her any chance to think. Iori says he'll teach her if there are any subjects that she doesn't understand, and when Yusuke asks if he can join their study session, Iori completely ignores him and leaves after saying it's a promise between him and Ema. Poor guy.

On the day of Hinode High School's opening ceremony, Yusuke and Ema are surprised to see Azusa at their school. He looks really neat in a formal suit, and he explains that he didn't have any plans to come here today. It's just Masaomi is taking care of an emergency, Ukyou has a meeting, and Kaname is busy with memorial service.. and so Azusa had to take their role as a guardian. Yusuke and Ema are confused since they didn't hear anything about this before, but before Azusa could explain anything, a taxi stops in front of the school gate and Fuuto walks out wearing Hinode High School's uniform. Fuuto politely greets them saying he'll be attending Hinode High School too from now on, which means that he's now their junior.

After the opening ceremony starts, Ema walks around the hall while still thinking about what just happened earlier. She knew that Fuuto safely passed his entrance exam, but whenever she asked about the name of the school, he always replied with "it's a secret" — obviously because he wanted to surprise her. Just then Ema hears a faint voice nearby, and she finds Fuuto sleeping under a cherry blossom tree nearby. Ema knows she should wake him up, but she can't do it because the sight of Fuuto sleeping outside is so irresistably sexy. (*ﾉ∀ﾉ)ｲﾔﾝ The tension escalates when Fuuto suddenly whispers "Don't do it, nee-san.. Don't touch me there, I won't be able to hold back.." and starts panting in his sleep. Σ(〃д〃) Ema can't stand it anymore and tries to wake him up, but Fuuto suddenly opens his eyes and reveals that he's actually awake. He left the hall because the ceremony is so boring, but he didn't expect to see her here. Fuuto quickly holds Ema's hands and pins her against the tree, asking if she knows why he decided to come to this school. He also gives her a chance to escape, but since she remains quiet in his arms, he chuckles and blows his warm breath onto her eyelashes. Just as he promised, he's going to give her an exciting school life from now on.


	27. Volume 4 Chapter 12-2

**Chapter 12-2: [ Where the overflowing emotions are ]**

In May, Ema goes to watch Subaru's match in Yoyogi Gym. She was actually reluctant to go after he hugged her, but she decided to go after receiving a mail from him. She can feel that he's really determined about winning the match, and she's glad that she came to watch him play — because he puts up a great performance today. Subaru stands out in the court with his three-point shots, and Ema notices that he looks really satisfied. In the middle of the match, Natsume suddenly appears asking what she's doing here. He finds it surprising that she was invited by Subaru, and he also admits that he's actually skipping work just to watch the match. He's worried about Subaru, though he knows that Subaru only wants him to leave him alone. Meiji University eventually wins the match, and Subaru immediately gets surrounded by all of his teammates after their victory. It would be hard to talk to him since he has celebrations and meetings afterwards, so Ema decides to go home with Natsume.

On the way to the car, Natsume receives a call from his office and asks Ema to wait for him. Ema then goes to sit on a nearby bench, where she sends a mail to thank Subaru for inviting her and also to congratulate him on the victory. After a while, Subaru suddenly comes running to see Ema. He's still wearing his uniform, and it seems like he ran out of the gym upon reading her mail. When Ema says he looked really cool in the court today, Subaru smiles saying it's all thanks to her. He suddenly asks if she's dating anyone or has someone she likes, and when she shakes her head, he asks her to stay with him forever and kisses her hand. (๑´ლ`๑) Subaru tells Ema that he needs her by his side, but sadly his confession got interrupted when Natsume returns. Despite Subaru's attempt to explain, Natsume coldly tells him that it's still too early for him to fool around. He tells Subaru to go back to his team inside, and that he should save all the "foolish things" until he becomes a first-class basketball player. Subaru obviously gets angry and says he doesn't want to hear that coming from a person who quit tracks and fields, but Natsume calmly replies that it would only be a half-hearted attempt if he continues anyway. After glaring at Natsume for a while, Subaru apologizes to Ema and walks away.

Soon after Subaru leaves, Natsume asks if Ema really doesn't know the reason why Subaru has been acting strange recently. Ema is too scared to answer, and Natsume keeps repeating the question until she eventually snaps. She cries saying she doesn't know anything, and she can't understand the meaning behind everyone's actions. Just then it suddenly starts raining, and Natsume apologizes saying he doesn't mean to hurt her. He gently wipes her tears away, asking her to forgive him. When Ema quietly says yes, Natsume takes off his coat and puts it on her shoulder. Then he guides her to the car and drives her home.


	28. Volume 4 Chapter 13

**Chapter 13:** **[ Can't stay here ] **

A few days later, Tsubaki learns from his manager that he won't have any summer vacation this year. His schedule is completely packed until the end of summer, and so he tells Ema that he won't be able to join their overseas trip. Ema, being the good girl that she is, feels sorry for Tsubaki, and he uses this chance to invite her on a trip to Miwa's private island this weekend. Ema actually feels bothered by Tsubaki's recent attitude towards her, so she says she'll go if they bring other people along.. and this leads to Tsubaki dragging both Azusa and Natsume to join the trip. Upon arriving at the island, Tsubaki invites Ema to swim together and asks her to change into her swimsuit. At first Ema refuses since she's not in the mood for swimming, but she instantly changes her mind when Natsume says he'll teach her how to dive. Unfortunately this only causes Tsubaki to get jealous, and his jealousy turns even deeper when Azusa tries to calm him down. Tsubaki notices that Azusa seems so happy, and he asks if Azusa actually wants to see Ema in a swimsuit. Azusa stutters as he tries to deny it, and Tsubaki clearly tells him that he won't hand Ema to anyone — not even to his beloved twin. Ema actually can hear their conversation from afar, and soon Azusa turns around to look at her. Noticing that Azusa is blushing madly, Ema quickly runs off towards the villa.

In the evening, Natsume helps Ema preparing dinner in the kitchen. Natsume notices that Ema is watching him closely as he cuts the vegetables, and he explains that he cooks for himself everyday. Back when he still did sports, he used to cook during gasshuku too. Natsume says he did long-distance road relay in the past, but he drops the subject saying they should cook fast or else Tsubaki will complain again. Ema keeps thinking if Natsume's past has something to do with what Subaru said to him before, and she ends up cutting her finger thanks to her wavering concentration. Natsume quickly grabs Ema's hand and licks her injured finger, and he only realizes what he's doing when he sees her blushing. (。-∀-)ﾆﾋｯ He apologizes and goes to get a first aid kid, and he tells her that he doesn't have ulterior motives — he only did it because he was in a panic. After Natsume is done treating her wound, Ema says she wants to continue making dinner. Upon hearing this, Natsume sighs saying Ema is too kind.. and that's why some people completely misunderstand her actions. He wants her to know some people will take her kindness as a sign of affection, and one of them is here with them in the villa.

That night, Ema finds Tsubaki practicing his lines alone in the dark living room. He asks her to help him practice because he can't seem to grasp the role yet, and despite Natsume's warning earlier, she agrees to help and reads the script beside him. The story is about a guy who hurt his girlfriend in the past, and now he's trying his best to win her heart back. There's a scene where he apologizes for kissing her, and right after reading that line.. Tsubaki suddenly drops the script saying he won't apologize for kissing Ema. He won't apologize even if she's angry, because he's really serious about her. In order to prove it, Tsubaki then pushes Ema down to the sofa and confesses that he loves her. Tsubaki asks Ema to accept him, and he kisses her repeatedly — saying he won't give her to anyone. Ema gradually loses her strength to resist, but eventually someone comes and pulls Tsubaki away from her.. and Tsubaki is shocked to see that it's actually Azusa.

Tsubaki then asks why Azusa is getting on his way, and Azusa only says it's not good to be so forceful on Ema. Tsubaki repeats that he won't hand Ema to anyone, and Azusa answers that he knows.. which means Azusa is stopping Tsubaki on purpose. Tsubaki glares at Azusa and asks what he should do, but Azusa coldly tells Tsubaki to return to his room. After a long silence, Tsubaki finally says he understands and leaves. However, Azusa also asks Ema to do the same and lock her door for tonight — just in case. He tells her that he joined the trip in order to confirm something, and he already found the answer today. Azusa says he doesn't have any rights to scold Tsubaki, because he actually feels the same way. He tells her to go because he might lose control like Tsubaki did, but since she's too shocked to move, he ends up leaving the living room instead.


	29. Volume 4 Chapter 14

**Chapter 14: [ Can't stay anywhere but here ]**

On the way back to the mansion, Tsubaki and Azusa are ignoring each other. Poor Natsume is trapped between them in the back seat, and the twins almost have a fight again when he tries to clear the heavy atmosphere. The one who picks them up Masaomi, and noticing that Ema is also acting strange beside him, he stops the car on purpose. Tsubaki and Azusa leave to "buy drinks", and before Natsume could ask Ema anything, Masaomi sends him to buy some cough drops outside — just so he can talk to her in private. Different from Natsume, Masaomi doesn't ask about what happened in the island. Masaomi only tells Ema that he will always be here for her, and he's glad if he can help her by sending everyone away — even though it's only for a while. Ema feels really touched by Masaomi's concern, and knowing that she's on the brink of tears, he asks her to cry as much as she wants to until the triplets return. As Ema cries on his chest, Masaomi gently hugs her saying he'll do everything he can to help her.

Three days after the beach trip, Ukyou suddenly tells Ema that she doesn't have to help him in the kitchen anymore. Everyone seems busy recently, so they don't have to prepare that much meal for a while. Ema still wants to help in the kitchen though, and so Ukyou asks her to show her hands. He points out that her fingers are really rough since she's obviously too distracted to take care of her hands, and the worst part is that she didn't realize it until he told her. Ukyou knows that something must have happened in the island, and he's afraid that his brothers are driving Ema to reach this condition. Ukyou also admits that he's actually an awkward man. He can't watch over everyone like Masaomi, and he can't comfort them with words like Kaname.. but he knows one thing for certain: he can't forgive the person who caused her hands to be so rough. If that person is one of his brothers, Ukyou will have to give him a punishment. Not as an older brother, but as a human — as a man who loves Ema. W-What..? Σ(ﾟ∀ﾟﾉ)ﾉ Hikaru soon comes to bug Ukyou again, and Ukyou warns him not to tease Ema right now because it would only hurt her even more. This only causes Hikaru to be more and more interested, and he says he'll return to watch the dramatic climax.. because it's been a while since the last time he saw Ukyou getting this serious.

Several days later, Ema walks home with Yusuke after school. Ema keeps spacing out along the way, and just like Ukyou, Yusuke knows something happened during her beach trip with the triplets. Yusuke admits that he really wants to know because they're a family, but sadly it only makes Ema feel terrible. She knows that the brothers are starting to fight because of her, and she feels like an outsider who destroyed their peace. Instead of answering the question, Ema tells Yusuke that she wants to get her passport today. Yusuke explains that she needs her family register, and she decides to visit the government center right away. It's actually just an excuse to escape from Yusuke's question, but Ema thinks getting a passport is a nice idea so she can visit Rintarou overseas whenever she wants to see him. However, the shocking truth hits Ema really hard when she reads her family register.

After leaving the government center, Ema walks around the city alone. She goes to the station thinking of leaving Kichijouji, but the station already closed by the time she arrives. At 1.30 AM, Natsume eventually finds Ema in front of the station.. but she refuses to return to the mansion, so he takes her to his apartment instead. There she meets his nearly identical cats — Tsubaki and Azusa — and knowing she can't talk properly in her current state, he forces her to take a bath in order to make her feel better. He also gives her some clothes to change into, though all of them are obviously too big on her. When Natsume asks her what happened, Ema says she found out that she's an "unwanted" person. She takes out her family registry and shows him what's written on her status column — "adoptive daughter". Rintarou never told her anything about this before, and Ema feels really upset thinking she's really an outsider. She also thinks her real parents must have thrown her away, and that her existence only causes trouble for everyone. Ema then gets up saying she'll return to the mansion and start packing up because she can't stay with everyone, but Natsume stops her saying he won't let her go. Then before she could say anything, he kisses her on the lips. Ema describes the kiss as "a kiss she has never felt before". It doesn't make her heart beat or sends a shocking sensation, but the kiss makes her feel really calm. It makes her realize that her thoughts about her family are probably wrong, and she finally cries in Natsume's arms.

Since it's already late, Natsume tells Ema to sleep in his room for tonight. He pats her head and asks her not to say that she's "unwanted" anymore, pointing out the fact that his brothers are fighting because she's important to them. Natsume also says Ema should talk to Rintarou about this issue, and that she shouldn't jump to conclusions before learning the truth. Natsume then sits on the bed with Ema, and he asks if she's angry about the kiss. When Ema says she's not angry, Natsume makes it clear that he didn't kiss her with half-hearted feelings. He knows that everyone is falling in love with her, and adding another person into the circle will make things even more complicated.. but he wants her to know how he truly feels — he's also in love with her. Natsume then moves really close to Ema — so close that their lips almost touch — but he changes his mind. He says he can't do it right now because it's unfair, and he doesn't want to have an unfair kiss with her. After saying good night to Ema, Natsume turns off the light.


	30. Volume 5 Chapter 15

**Chapter 15: [ Because I belong here ]**

In the morning, Ema wakes up in Natsume's room and borrows his kitchen to make breakfast.. only to be greeted by the sight of sexy half-naked Natsume walking out of the bathroom, with only a single towel covering his waist area. (*ﾉ∀ﾉ)ｲﾔﾝ He quickly apologizes and runs off to wear some clothes, explaining that he went jogging when she was still asleep. Natsume also says he actually jogs regularly because he loves running, though he doesn't participate in any games anymore. He mentions that he's Subaru's predecessor, but he doesn't explain anything and changes the subject instead. Natsume makes some toast while Ema cooks an omelette for him, then he hugs her shoulder saying he's jealous of his brothers because they can eat her cooking everyday. ﾟ+.ｏ(*萌´д`从´д`萌*)ｏ.+ﾟ Natsume then asks if Ema is feeling better, and when she says yes, he tells her to come to him whenever she has any problems — he will do anything he can to help her. Ema starts feeling ﾄﾞｷ(*´・ω・`*)ﾄﾞｷ upon noticing that Natsume is looking at her, and they stare into each other's eyes.. until cat Tsubaki and cat Azusa come to ruin their ラブラブ time by scratching poor Natsume's feet LOL.

Just before they eat breakfast, Rui comes to pick Ema along with Juli. Natsume actually called the mansion last night, and he informed them that Ema is staying in his apartment. Ema notices that Rui looks rather messy and tired, but when she apologizes, he smiles saying she doesn't have to apologize — he's just glad that she's alright. The moment Natsume calls Rui to come in and have breakfast with them, Juli suddenly leaps forward and brutally attacks Natsume with all his might. Juli calls Natsume a demon who kidnapped Ema and forced her to cook breakfast for him, but he eventually stops when Rui explains that it's only a misunderstanding.. because Natsume was the one who saved Ema. Rui then brushes Juri's messy fur after apologizing to Natsume, and Ema can only watch in disbelief as Juli obediently curls up in Rui's arms LOL.

After eating breakfast together, Natsume is planning to drive them back to the mansion, but Rui refuses saying Natsume doesn't understand a girl's feeling. Ema's uniform is dirty and her hair is a bit messy, and Rui knows their brothers will only get worried if she returns home in such a sad condition. Based on Rui's request, Natsume then drops them off at Rui's salon — where he gives Ema a cute frilly dress to wear, as well as arranging her hairstyle. Rui also tells Ema that the "Protect Chii-chan Club" normally doesn't have any activities, but they will surely move out whenever she needs help. (人´∀`) ゜'・:* They return to the mansion after that, and they find Ukyou waiting for them along with Yusuke and Wataru — both are skipping school just to wait for Ema to come back. After Ema explains that she's actually adopted, Yusuke stands up and makes it clear that they won't throw her away just because she's not related by blood to Rintarou. Ukyou, on the other hand, completely understands why Ema is shocked. He asks if she's still feeling unwanted and she says no, but she doesn't have the confidence to say that they're a family.. and she falls into silence instead. Noticing Ema's feelings, Rui asks Ukyou to let them talk in private for a while.

Rui then takes Ema to ride a boat in the park, and he rows the boat to the middle of the lake so they can talk in peace. Since Ema doesn't realize that she's feeling insecure, Rui explains that she feels that way because she's not related to anyone. He tells her that blood relations isn't absolute, and her mind instantly objects thinking someone who has 12 brothers like him won't understand her feelings.. but his next words completely shocked her: "I understand, because I'm the same. I'm also adopted." Σ(・д・ﾉ)ﾉ Rui used to live in an orphanage, and Miwa came to adopt him when he was 2 years old. The only ones who knew about this are those who are older than him, so Subaru and those who are younger don't know that he's actually adopted. When he was younger, Rui used to feel insecure too. He noticed how his brothers all share a similar habit, but he's different because he's not blood-related to them. However, all of those insecurities eventually vanished as he grew up. He came to accept Miwa as his mother, and he can think of everyone as his family. It took time, but Rui has never felt insecure again ever since. That's why he wants Ema to know that the most important thing isn't blood relations — it's their hearts that keep them connected. Even though he doesn't remember his real parents, Rui has a lot of memories with everyone in the Asahina family.

Rui then leans forward to hug Ema, and he gently tells her that she's a part of his family.. so he wants her to accept him as a family too. When he asks her to return home together, Ema suddenly feels a lot better and hugs Rui back. She doesn't feel unwanted anymore, because she finally realized that she has family and a place to belong. She has a lot of memories with Rintarou and everyone, and that bond is stronger than blood. Ema whispers "thank you" into Rui's ears, and Rui answers by kissing Ema on the cheek — thanking her for accepting them as her family.


	31. Volume 5 Chapter 16-1

**Chapter 16:** **[ The one who asks for love is sneering ]**

One evening, Ukyou asks Ema to bring dinner to Azusa's room. Since Ema is still washing the dishes, Yusuke decides to help so they can finish faster and play game together after that. It appears that Azusa has caught a cold, and since everyone seems busy with their own plans lately, Masaomi sadly says they might have to cancel their overseas trip. Ukyou also feels bad because Ema wouldn't find out about her identity if they didn't tell her about making a passport, and when Ema says it's not their fault, Ukyou says that she's too kind — just as Natsume told her before. Based on his experience as a lawyer, Ukyou knows that too much kindness only brings misfortune.. both for other people and for Ema herself. He tells her that sometimes they have to blame people too. It might seem cold, but it's necessary in order for people to improve.

Soon Masaomi informs Ema that she's got a call from Africa, and Ema finally has the chance to talk to Rintarou. When she calls him "papa", Rintarou says he's glad that she still calls him that way. Masaomi already explained what happened to Miwa, and the news quickly reached him as well. Rintarou apologizes for not telling Ema about her real identity, and he explains that he was actually planning to tell her the truth someday. He just couldn't find the right timing yet. He promises to explain everything when he returns from Africa, and for now he can only tell her that her real parents already passed away. Ema is actually the daughter of Rintarou's senior, and her mother died soon after giving birth to her. Ema's father always left Ema in Rintarou's care whenever he went on an adventure, until eventually he died due to an accident at work. Both of Ema's parents didn't have any relatives, and Rintarou gladly adopted Ema since she's the only thing his senior left for him. Even though they're not related by blood, Rintarou wants Ema to know that he really thinks of her as his own daughter.

Not too long after Ema returns to the living room, Kaname comes bringing a flyer about "Club Buddha". It looks exactly like a flyer for a host club — complete with pictures of sexy monks, including Kaname himself — but he explains that it's just a memorial service event during the upcoming summer festival. (○´ﾟωﾟ｀):;*.':;ﾌﾞｯ Kaname wants Ema to come and see him during the event, and despite her coldly refusing his invitation, he keeps flirting with her until Ukyou eventually smacks his head with a frying pan. Y⌒Y⌒Y⌒Y⌒Y⌒Y⌒(。A。)ｱﾋｬﾋｬﾋｬﾋｬ! However, Masaomi notices that Kaname is actually trying to make Ema feel better, and so he encourages her to go to the festival too — much to Ukyou's dismay. Just then Yusuke returns to the living room, and Kaname asks him to take Ema to the festival. Tempted by the thought of seeing Ema in a yukata, Yusuke also joins his brothers to convince Ema.. and eventually she agrees to go to the festival, though she has no intentions to call Kaname during the event.

After changing into her yukata, Ema finds Azusa in the kitchen. He's hungry and doesn't look well, but he assures her it's nothing serious. Despite his health and the awkward atmosphere between him and Tsubaki, Azusa says he wants to do his best when the time comes for him to voice the role Tsubaki has entrusted in his hands.. even though he lost his focus for a brief moment upon seeing Ema in a yukata. (❤ฺ￫艸￩) Ema goes to the summer festival with Yusuke after that, and he buys an anzu candy for her as they walk around the temple. They decide to get some rest when the festival gets even more crowded, and the candy started to melt along the way.. but Yusuke quickly wipes the melting candy with his finger before it falls onto Ema's yukata. Yusuke then licks the melted candy on his finger and happily whispers that it's a good day today, but sadly the good time ends when Wataru suddenly comes and forces Yusuke to take him to the toilet. Wataru got separated from Masaomi earlier, and he would only drag Ema to the toilet if Yusuke refuses.. so Yusuke has no choice but to leave Ema's side for a while.

While Yusuke takes Wataru to the toilet, Ema waits for them to return on a bench nearby. Just then a handsome young man suddenly comes to hit on her, and she notices that he's holding a "Club Buddha" fan. Ema then asks if he's Kaname's workmate, but before the man could give her an answer, Kaname comes to greet them. At first Ema is surprised to hear Kaname calling her "Chii-chan", but it turns out he's not referring to her. "Chii-chan" is the young man in front of them LOL. Kaname introduces him as Chiaki — a fellow monk in the temple — and Chiaki's attitude instantly changes upon learning that Ema isn't a potential "customer". xD Ema explains that she's only here by coincidence, but Kaname decides to take it the positive way by saying coincidence is blessing them by bringing them together. ﾌﾟｯ(※థэథ)∵.*.∵ Kaname still has a guest to serve though, and he asks Ema to wait here until he's done.

Soon after Kaname goes inside the temple, Ema meets Iori — who comes to the festival alone. Iori then sits beside Ema, and he apologizes for subtly forcing her to take the entrance exam to Jouchi University before. Iori realized that he's pushing his wish onto Ema, and it bothered him a lot. He admits that he does want her to enter Jouchi University, but he doesn't mind even if she picks a different university. When the event inside the temple begins, Ema follows Iori to the tree lane so they won't be disturbed by the noise. Iori says that ever since he heard about Ema's real identity, he's been thinking of staying by her side as much as possible.. because he knows how it feels when life suddenly takes everything away from you. Iori wants to spend time together with Ema so he can "ease her pain" — thinking she's now struggling in the dark like he used to be — but Ema then tells Iori that she's not feeling down anymore. It's true that she was shocked at first, but Rui already cleared her insecurities away.

Upon hearing this, Iori's expression turns gloomy. He then admits that he's been faking himself all this time, because he actually hasn't gotten back onto his feet yet. He only locked all of his past memories deep inside his mind and pretended not to see them, but he knew that he's still stuck in the past. The one who needs help is actually him — not Ema. As he puts his hands on Ema's shoulder, Iori says that he probably won't be able to forget what happened in the past.. but he needs to move on. Iori then hugs Ema, and he says that he doesn't have any strength to forget his past yet. He can't start moving forward alone, but he might be able to endure the pain if he's with her. Before Ema could say anything, Iori suddenly leans in and kisses her on the lips. He notcies something right after that, and he sneers as he calls Kaname's name. The moment Ema turns around, she finds Kaname standing behind them.. with a grim expression.


	32. Volume 5 Chapter 16-2

**Repeat #016 – Side Kaname: [ The one who speaks love is throwing away his burning heart ]**

After sending Ema and Iori back to the mansion, Kaname is blaming himself for what happened between them. Kaname tried telling Iori that he's misunderstanding Ema's kindness as a sign of affection, but Iori wouldn't listen at all — because Ema didn't resist when he kissed her earlier. Iori refused to believe that Ema doesn't love him, and he accuses Kaname of trying to pull them apart out of jealousy. Iori also revealed that he actually knew about what happened between Kaname and Ema back in summer vacation, because he overheard them talking about the kiss after he left her room. He doesn't really care about their kiss though, because he believes that he already won her heart.. and now he wants Kaname to admit his defeat, then go away and stop interfering with their relationship. Before leaving, Iori told Kaname that he will forget what happened today, but he can't say what will happen if Kaname tries to disturb them again.

Upon returning to the temple, Kaname leaves his remaining guests in Chiaki's hands and goes to think alone in the inner garden. There he runs into Ryuusei — the most popular monk in the temple — who can tell that he's worried about his family. Despite Kaname's attempt to hide it, Ryuusei can easily read him like a book. There are various kinds of people, but the source of their worries are usually the same. It's either about themselves or about other people, which can be either their family or the person they love. Ryuusei knows that Kaname always finds his own path in life and will never worry that much about himself, and since he's a pro when it comes to women.. it only leads to one conclusion. Kaname tries to protest saying he's not a womanizer anymore, but Ryuusei calmly replies that people worry when they have to choose between choices which are equally important. Ryuusei asks if Kaname can throw away one of them to save the other one, and he takes Kaname's silence as a no. Ryuusei then points to the tattoo on Kaname's right collarbone, asking if he hasn't forgotten about that.

This reminds Kaname of Ema's question last summer, because she's actually right. The tattoo was made to look like a sword, but it's actually a cross.. and nobody realized the meaning of that tattoo until Ema came into his life. Kaname then closes his eyes for a while, and he finds the answer he's been looking for. If he keeps his love burning — in its true meaning — he will be able to save both Iori and Ema. Kaname opens his eyes and thanks Ryuusei for the advice, but Ryuusei is already gone.


	33. Volume 5 Chapter 16-3

**Several days after #016 – Side Fuuto: [ The tropical cyclone comes with a bad mood ]**

Despite his good grades in exams, Fuuto has to attend supplementary lessons during summer vacation because of his insufficient attendance. He's clearly not interested though, since he'd rather use the time to practice acting instead. Recently he received an offer to act as a guest character in a popular TV drama series, and he's been working really hard on his acting ever since. Fuuto knows that he can't be an idol forever, but he wants to stay in the entertainment world even after graduating — as an actor. The job is really important because it's the start of his acting career.. and yet he needs to attend supplementary lessons instead. Since he feels sleepy in class, Fuuto tells the teacher that he's sick and escapes to sleep in the infirmary.

The infirmary looks empty when Fuuto enters, but soon he notices that someone is sleeping in one of the beds.. and that someone is none other than Ema. The school is open for third-year students who wants to study, but for some reason she's sleeping here instead of studying in her class. When Ema kicks the blanket in her sleep, Fuuto thinks about how careless she is to sleep in the infirmary without locking the door.. and he remembers that she did the same thing by sleeping in their living room. Fuuto then decides to give Ema a "lesson" by lying beside her and starts poking her body, but she's not waking up at all. Even when he unties her uniform's ribbon, she only talks about food in her sleep. (○´ﾟωﾟ｀):;*.':;ﾌﾞｯ The "lesson" actually backfires when Fuuto notices Ema's nape peeking out from her loose collar, and the sight instantly turns him on. (*ﾉ∀ﾉ)ｲﾔﾝ Fuuto climbs on top of Ema and leans closer to kiss her neck — saying it's her fault for being so tempting — but sadly the AC decides to break the mood by blowing cold air straight onto his head. ( ﾟ∀ﾟ)ｱﾊﾊ八八ﾉヽﾉヽﾉヽﾉ ＼ / ＼/ ＼ Fuuto is obviously pissed, so he quickly leaves the infirmary and goes to cool himself in the library instead.


	34. Volume 5 Chapter 17-1

**Chapter 17:** **[ 12-2 = the bitter choice, 1/2 + 1/2 = the soul that draws close ]**

Based on Azusa's request, Ema wakes up earlier than usual and makes breakfast for the two of them. Azusa has to leave early for work today, and Ema also has a supplementary class at school in the morning. However, Ema notices that Azusa looks tired and doesn't eat much. He assures her that it's just a normal cold, but he starts breathing heavily when he tries to stand up. Ema asks him to get some rest for today, but Azusa refuses saying he can't do that since the people he's working with have their own schedule as well — he doesn't want to ruin their plans just because of his health. Azusa then forces himself to stand up, which causes Ema to fall on top of him when she tries to prevent him from collapsing. Just then a long-haired man in a formal suit appears by the living room's door, and he comments about how Ema is being so bold by pushing Azusa down so early in the morning. At first Ema doesn't recognize him and says she'll call the police, but the man then reveals himself to be Hikaru — minus the make-up. After checking Azusa's condition, Hikaru forces him to get some rest for today. He also tells Azusa to get some delicious porridge from Ema and recover soon, but since Azusa blushes and stutters upon hearing this, he chuckles and says the "last fort" of the Asahina family has fallen into Ema's hands.

Ema runs late to school after taking Azusa back to his room, and as the result, she has to take an extra class after school. On the way home, Ema runs into Kaname — who says he'll drive her home. At first Ema refuses the offer, but she eventually agrees when Kaname asks her to get into his car.. because this will be the last thing he asks from her. He also asks her to trust him — even if it's just for today — and takes her to the beach, because he wants to talk to her in a place where their brothers will never find them. As they gaze at the sea, Kaname informs Ema that Hikaru described their current condition as "0 wins, 12 losses and 1 watcher".. with the victories being in Ema's hands, and the "watcher" being Hikaru himself. However, Kaname says the situation has changed to "0 wins, 11 losses, 1 watcher and 1 quit." He doesn't say it clearly, but the one who quit is none other than Kaname himself.. and at this rate there will be "2 quits" in the future.

Kaname then asks if Ema loves Iori, and Ema honestly answers that she's not sure. The kiss was so sudden, and Ema can't deny that she actually had no intentions to kiss Iori, so Kaname asks her not to approach Iori if she doesn't love him. Iori is still struggling in the dark right now, and he'd only drag her along if she's not prepared to save him. Love is when you understand and accept someone else, but right now Iori is only seeking for someone who can understand and accept him — it's not love. Kaname knows that Ema is kind and caring, but that kindness just won't work on Iori. It would only cause her to drown along with him. Kaname asks Ema to leave Iori to him, and he also asks her to give her kind heart to someone else. (ノД`)・゜・。Then he hugs her saying she's his precious sister, and Iori is also his precious brother.. that's why he's going to protect both of them with everything he has.

Kaname drives Ema back home after that, and she receives a mail from Rintarou when she's waiting for the elevator. The mail informs her that Rintarou is still in Tanzania right now, and it will take a while before he can return to Japan because the road to the city is being repaired at the moment. Rintarou apologized since he can't return and talk to Ema yet, but he attached a really old picture of Ema's father. His name is Himi Kenji, and Rintarou respected him a lot as a senior. Rintarou feels happy to be able to raise Kenji's daughter, and at the same time, he also thinks of Ema as his own daughter. He would be happy if Ema can accept both Kenji and him as her fathers. The mail makes Ema feel really touched, knowing that on the other side of the world, Rintarou is thinking of her. She realizes that families always have troubles, but as long as one of them is trying to keep them connected, their bond will never break.

The moment Ema walks into the living room, Tsubaki suddenly hugs her from behind and says he's worried since it's already late. Unfortunately, Tsubaki notices that Ema smells like the sea breeze. He asks if she went to the beach with another man, but she keeps quiet because she knows mentioning Kaname's name means she will need to explain about Iori's issue as well. It only causes Tsubaki to get even more insecure than he already is, and he admits it feels really painful to see Ema being so vague. Tsubaki says he can't wait any longer, and he asks Ema to give him an answer. Ema knows she can't let Tsubaki take control again, but just when she's about to stop him, Azusa comes and tells Tsubaki to let go of her. Despite Azusa's attempt to explain that he's only hurting Ema, Tsubaki refuses to listen to him — eventually yelling that he doesn't want to hear anything from Azusa anymore. Azusa falls into silence for a while, and the next second, he suddenly collapses onto the floor while whispering Tsubaki's name. Just then Masaomi comes into the living room, and he quickly asks Ema to call an ambulance before calling the head doctor.

Azusa is taken to the hospital after that, and Ema stays at home with Tsubaki — who is now drowning in guilt. Tsubaki doesn't answer when Ema calls him, and eventually he tells her that twins who were born together share the same soul. Tsubaki can feel Azusa even when they were apart, but right now he can't feel anything. It's just like Azusa is no longer around, and it makes Tsubaki feel really scared. When Ema tries to comfort him, Tsubaki says her kindness feels so painful right now. He finally realized how desperate he was in order to make her his, and that Azusa was trying to stop him from ruining his relationship with Ema.. but he refused to listen and shoved Azusa away. Since Tsubaki won't stop blaming himself, Ema then asks him to see Azusa in the hospital. If he can't do it, then she's going to see Azusa and ask how he feels. If Tsubaki and Azusa share the same soul, it means Azusa must be wanting to see Tsubaki too right now. At first Tsubaki refuses, but finally he gives in and hugs Ema — asking her to help so he can talk to Azusa again.

One week later, Ema goes to see Azusa in the hospital after school. He comes to see her by the reception desk, and he takes her for a walk at the hospital garden — where he explains that he's suffering from meningitis. Luckily they discovered the disease at an early stage, so Azusa will recover completely with proper medical treatment. The timing is really bad because he won't be able to work for a while, but after consulting with his manager, he knows that the only thing he can do for now is to focus on his recovery. When Ema tells him that Tsubaki is feeling guilty, Azusa says it's not Tsubaki's fault at all.. but Ema can understand why Tsubaki is blaming himself. Tsubaki must be thinking that he's causing a lot of problems for Azusa. Like the anime role.. and also about Ema. Azusa then asks if Ema loves Tsubaki, and she answers that she does. As a brother, that is. She admits that she can't answer Tsubaki's feelings, and she feels thankful that Azusa came to save her. However, Azusa says she's wrong.

Azusa then admits that as a man, he couldn't allow what Tsubaki was trying to do to Ema — because he loves her too. He admits that he's not that good at dealing with people, and so he didn't really pay attention to her at first.. but everything changed when she encouraged him to accept the role. It was the trigger that caused Azusa to look at Ema in a different way, and he can't take his eyes off her ever since. While he accepted the role because of Tsubaki, Azusa admits that he's been working hard because he wanted Ema to hear his voice too. Right now Ema is a special person for Azusa, and nobody can replace her in his heart. Ema is surprised upon hearing the confession.. and her tears start flowing out before she knew it. This causes Azusa to regret confessing to her, and he apologizes for not holding back, but Ema says it's not his fault. All of these conflicts happened because she didn't do anything about everyone's feelings, and she knows that she can't let things continue this way. Ema then tells Azusa that she accepts his feelings — along with everyone else's — but she needs some time to sort out her thoughts. As the answer, Azusa smiles and thanks Ema.

When Ema tells him that Tsubaki actually wants to see him, Azusa asks her to tell Tsubaki that he can come to visit anytime.. because he wants to meet Tsubaki as well. Azusa also realizes that Ema actually came to see him for this reason, and when Ema tries to deny it, Azusa says she should learn to be more selfish. If she's being too kind to everyone, someday she's going to lose sight of her real self. When the wind blows, Azusa looks up at the sky and says that autumn is coming, and Ema asks him to come home before then.


	35. volume 5 Chapter 17-2

**Several days after #017 – Side Tsubaki:** **[ I want to see you right now, but.. ]**

Back in the mansion, Tsubaki receives a call from his manager. Since Azusa is sick, now they have to look for another seiyuu to fill in his role.. and they're asking Tsubaki to replace Azusa as the main character of the anime. Normally Tsubaki would accept because it's the role he's been dreaming to get, but he can't do it since it's Azusa's role. The fact that they're looking for Azusa's replacement so fast irks Tsubaki to no end, and he falls asleep in the living room only to see a series of nightmares. In his dream, Masaomi informs him that Azusa died. Tsubaki is devastated and begs Masaomi to save Azusa's life, but Masaomi suddenly changes into Ema.. who leaves him after saying she hates a rough person like him. Tsubaki wakes up calling Ema not to leave him, and his head bumps into Natsume's chin. Natsume says he's just dropping by after visiting Azusa in the hospital, but before he could finish his sentence, Tsubaki suddenly pinches his cheek to make sure that it's not another dream.

When Tsubaki asks about how Azusa is doing, Natsume replies that he's actually doing better than expected. Natsume finds it weird since it sounds like Tsubaki hadn't visited Azusa for a long time, and he's surprised to hear that Tsubaki actually hasn't visited Azusa at all. Natsume asks if Tsubaki feels bad about getting chosen as Azusa's replacement for the anime, and he believes that Azusa will surely understand.. but Tsubaki snaps and blames Natsume instead. Tsubaki says Natsume was the one who drove him towards desperation by attracting Ema's attention, and it was that desperation that created the tension between him and Azusa. Upon hearing all of these accusations, Natsume only says he understands. He won't say anything, but he wants Tsubaki to know that Azusa is thinking about him too. After Natsume leaves the mansion, Tsubaki whispers that he's the worst for taking out his anger on Natsume. He needs to pull himself together, and answer Azusa's feelings properly. Realizing that his voice is the only thing he has, Tsubaki finally calls his manager and accepts the role.


	36. Volume 6 Chapter 18-1

**Chapter 18-1:** **[ If we become one ]**

Ever since Azusa got hospitalized, Tsubaki has been really busy with work. A few days after Ema's visit, Azusa asks Masaomi to buy some mangas and games for him — so he can catch up with work even during his absence. Unfortunately, Masaomi doesn't know much about the stuff Azusa listed.. and Tsubaki — the one who knows the most about these stuff — doesn't seem to have any time at the moment. Masaomi then asks for Ema's help, and since she only knows half of the stuff on the list, she decides to ask Yusuke for more details. Yusuke totally throws away his studies and goes to buy _everything_ on the list for Ema, which sadly causes him to fail a test the next day. He actually wants to visit Azusa in the hospital with her, but he has to attend an extra class because of this. Azusa is surprised when Ema comes to visit him with all the mangas and games he requested, and upon hearing what happened with Yusuke, he says Yusuke is really a fool. ﾌﾟｯ(※థэథ)∵.*.∵ Yusuke should have studied for the test, buy all the stuff with Ema _and_ visit Azusa together.. but oh well. Too late.

As they take all the stuff out of the shopping bag, Azusa accidentally touches Ema's hand and blushes instantly. This reminds Ema of Azusa's confession not too long ago, but knowing that she needs to answer everyone's feelings, she quickly snaps out of it and tells him that it's just a coincidence. Azusa is clearly bothered by this, but then he smiles and thanks Ema for giving him a reminder that he should focus on recovering for now. Ema then helps Azusa putting all the stuff on the side table, and as she puts his clothes onto the shelf, she mentions that he's really good at keeping everything tidy. Ema also says it feels good to see how he keeps things in order, and Azusa answers that it's the first time someone has ever said that to him. Tsubaki usually gets angry if Azusa cleans up his room and moves his stuff around. Ema notices that Azusa looks sad when he brings up Tsubaki's name, and she realizes what it means. Tsubaki still hasn't come to visit him yet.

On the day when Ema first visited Azusa, Tsubaki came home looking really tired late at night. After making dinner for him, Ema informed Tsubaki that she already talked to Azusa.. and that Azusa said he can come to visit anytime. Even though Tsubaki promised that he will come to visit Azusa, Ema heard him whispering "Why does it have to happen now? How could I face Azusa?" — obviously because he's still confused about the offer. Feeling bad for Azusa, Ema then says that Tsubaki hasn't come yet because he's busy. Much to her surprise, Azusa says he knows that Tsubaki is working so hard lately to fill in the gaps he left at work. His manager already told him what happened, and he also knows that his remaining jobs will probably go to Tsubaki as well. However, Azusa then says that Tsubaki is thinking too much. A role will only be a role, and besides, Azusa thinks the anime role initially belongs to Tsubaki anyway.

Since Azusa needs some rest, Ema decides to get a vase for the bouquet in his room before going home. On her way back to his room, she hears his voice talking to someone else in the room. For a moment she panics thinking it might be an intruder, but soon she realizes that it's the person Azusa has been waiting for. Tsubaki is standing near Azusa's hospital bed, and even though Ema can't see his face, she can hear that his voice is trembling. Before Tsubaki could say anything, Azusa hugs him and calls him "nii-san" — just like how it was on the night when he accepted the role. Tsubaki apologizes for not coming to visit earlier, and also for not listening to what Azusa tried to say.. but Azusa says he doesn't mind. It was his fault too for not explaining the reason, and he understands that anyone would be angry to be disturbed in such a state. Tsubaki admits that he was a fool, and he promises to think carefully before he acts from now on. Tsubaki then asks Azusa to forgive him, and Azusa answers that there's nothing to forgive since he's not angry to begin with.

Outside of Azusa's hospital room, Ema closes the door carefully so she won't disturb them. She quietly apologizes to both Tsubaki and Azusa for causing such a conflict between them, and she feels really glad to see them together again.


	37. Volume 6 Chapter 18-2

**Chapter 18-2: [ The storm that leaves heat on eyelids ] **

On the day of Hinode High School's culture festival, Ema's class is running a "Butler and Maid Cafe". The one who suggested the idea was Ema's best friend, Imai Mahoko — a huge fan of Fuuto's who loves chasing idols. Mahoko wanted to open a butler cafe simply because there are a lot of good-looking guys in their class, but she decided to add maids in the last second since they don't have enough helpers. The moment Ema enters the classroom, Mahoko thrusts a classic maid uniform into her hands and asks her to change.. and Ema accepts knowing she can't go against Mahoko anyway. xD One of their classmates, Sasakura Kazuma, also asks if he can take a picture with Ema later, since he's going to wear a butler uniform as well. When Mahoko says it'd be a nice picture for their flyers, Sasakura refuses saying the picture will be his memory.. and he won't share it with anyone.

Soon Yusuke enters the classroom, and Mahoko rages at him for being so late. She says it's hard to believe that Yusuke is Fuuto's brother, and while Yusuke is clearly pissed, Sasakura tells him not to cross Mahoko for today — it's useless LOL. Mahoko then pushes Yusuke into the changing booth, and after a while, he walks out wearing his butler uniform. The first thing he does is to ask for Ema's opinion, and he blushes when she says he looks good. (❤ฺ￫艸￩) Ema changes into her maid uniform too after that, and Yusuke nearly gets a heart attack when she comes out of the booth. (。-∀-)ﾆﾋｯ ..but he's surprised when Sasakura reminds Ema to take a picture with him later. Poor guy, as if he doesn't have enough rivals already.

After she's done helping out in class, Ema goes to hand their cafe flyers by the school gate. She hears someone saying "I found a cute maid" before returning to her classroom, and she turns around to find Fuuto nearby — in a gorgeous vampire costume. It turns out the costume is for his photobook, since they want to take pictures with culture festival as the theme. They were initially planning to use a set, but since Hinode High School is having their culture festival today, they changed plans and use the school as the setting instead. Fuuto then asks Ema to visit his class' haunted house, and when she tries to refuse, he sadly says he only wants to enjoy the culture festival with her. He doesn't have a lot of free time as an idol, and they even ask him to work during the culture festival just so they can cut their budget. Feeling sorry for Fuuto, Ema eventually agrees to visit his class for a little while.

Upon reaching his class, Fuuto leads Ema to a different door saying she needs to pay if they go through the front entrance, so he's taking her to enter from the back door instead. It's really dark inside, and Fuuto quietly asks Ema not to call his name too loud or else the staff will come to disturb them. However, Fuuto suddenly locks the door and hugs Ema — covering her mouth with his hands before she could say anything. He reveals that his sad expression from earlier was just an act, and he tells her not be so trusting towards men. He also says it's her fault for playing around with his brothers, and he asks how many of them will she charm until she gets satisfied. Fuuto then asks if Ema is just being indecisive, and he's willing to help her decide by making her his. Unlike his brothers, Fuuto will never confess. If he likes anything, then he'll just obtain it — he doesn't need her permission. Fuuto then challenges Ema to run if she wants to, but his warm breath is absorbing all of her strength to resist.. until he says his brothers are so easy to be captivated by someone like her.

Ema regains her strength upon hearing those words, and she pushes Fuuto away with all her might. He's really surprised by her resistance, but at the same time, he's also impressed that she still has some strength left in her. Noticing that Ema doesn't have any power to stand up anymore, Fuuto chuckles saying everything was also an act. It's just an entertainment for him to enjoy the culture festival more, and he reveals that he didn't lock the door either — he was only pretending to do so. Fuuto then says that Ema has become strong, but it only makes him even more excited to obtain her. He points out that she needs to get even stronger though, or else he will really make her his. (*ﾉ∀ﾉ)ｷｬｰ Before leaving, Fuuto kisses Ema's eyelids and asks her to remember those words.


	38. Volume 6 Chapter 19-1

**Before #019 – Side Ukyou:** **[ Nobody is innocent ]**

Late at night, Ukyou takes a warm bath after cleaning up the 5th floor. He already noticed that most of his brothers are falling for Ema, and he needs to do something since the conflicts are stressing her out. The problem is, he doesn't know what to do in this situation. It's not like they can solve this issue by law, and Ukyou himself thinks dealing with women is a difficult thing to do. When he comes out of the bathroom, Ukyou finds a drunk Azusa in the living room. Azusa has been discharged from the hospital recently, and today the staff made a celebration for his recovery after work. Of course Ukyou is worried since Azusa has just recovered, but when he asks Azusa not to force himself, Azusa says he knows and calls him "mama" — much to his dismay. ﾌﾟｯ(※థэథ)∵.*.∵ Azusa also refuses to eat dinner, so Ukyou gives him a glass of water to clear his head with.

After drinking the water, Azusa suddenly mentions that "she" won another case recently. He saw the picture on the internet, along with the article about a certain beautiful young lawyer who keeps winning cases on the court — Amamiya Reiko. Ukyou calmly says the article is so foolish since it doesn't say anything about the real her, and he asks if Azusa knows what's necessary to keep consecutive victories. It's simple — don't accept cases that will make you lose. Reiko has the ability to tell which ones she would win and which ones are no good, and that's why she keeps winning. Just before Ukyou goes to sleep, Azusa suddenly asks if he's seeing Reiko in Ema because they look really similar. Azusa seems unsure even when Ukyou says he doesn't, so Ukyou makes it very clear that he's not comparing Ema to Reiko. They look similar, but their personalities are very different. They're two different persons.

When Azusa asks how he feels about Ema, Ukyou returns the question by asking about what happened during their island trip. He's glad that Tsubaki and Azusa's relationship has returned to normal, but he noticed the strange tension between them. Ukyou then asks if both of them already resolved the issue, and Azusa laughs saying Ukyou is really sharp whenever he's in "court mode". Azusa doesn't have any intentions to reveal what happened though, so he tells Ukyou that he's using his right to remain silent.. and Ukyou says he understands. Azusa soon falls asleep on the sofa, and Ukyou gently removes his glasses — thinking that a time for them to make everything clear will surely come. Then he says goodnight to Azusa and leaves.


	39. Volume 6 Chapter 19-2

**Chapter 19:** **[ On the night when the stars and the kiss fall ]**

For their autumn family trip, Ema and her brothers go to visit Miwa's villa in North Yatsugatake, Nagano. The ones who join the trip are Masaomi, Wataru, Ukyou, Hikaru, Subaru, Azusa and Natsume — using both Masaomi's and Natsume's cars. The latter has no ideas about where they are though, so Ukyou has to make sure he knows where they're heading. xD They stop to get some rest along the way, and Azusa blushes when Ema smiles at him.. though he tries to cover it by saying the maples are beautiful. Hikaru teases Azusa by saying he's really good at acting, but luckily Natsume calls Azusa before it turns into a fight. Since Azusa runs away, Hikaru then decides to tease Subaru instead. He calls Subaru to stand beside Ema so he can take a picture of them, and this causes an awkward atmosphere to flow between Subaru and Ema.. until Wataru suddenly tackles Subaru saying he won't allow it. Wataru is clearly jealous and refuses to let go, so Ema eventually tells him that she actually wants to take a picture with everyone. Wataru instantly calms down upon hearing this, while Hikaru keeps observing with a smile on his face. Before taking a picture of everyone, Hikaru whispers to Ema that she did a great job in handling the situation.

Upon arriving in the villa, Subaru helps carrying Ema's belongings inside. He asks if he can talk to her in private before they return to Tokyo, and when she asks what he wants to talk about, he only says he'll tell her everything when she has time for him. That night, everyone has BBQ for dinner. Natsume finds it unusual for Tsubaki to be absent during a family trip, but according to Azusa, Tsubaki is currently busy with work. Azusa receives a call from Tsubaki after that, and noticing that Ema seems concerned, Natsume explains that Tsubaki is replacing Azusa as the main character of the anime. The production staff can't afford to wait until Azusa returns to work, so they have to look for another seiyuu to fill in the gap. It's the role Tsubaki has been dreaming to achieve, but Ema feels bad for Azusa since it took quite a lot of determination for him to accept that role. However, Natsume then asks Ema not to look so sad. It's the first time he ever saw such a tension between Tsubaki and Azusa, but he believes both of them know about what's important — they won't lose their bond. As their brother, Natsume asks Ema to smile for them. Her smile always make them happy, and he admits that he always remembers her smile whenever he's feeling tired.

After dinner, Ema stays in the terrace and thinks about Subaru's confession along with all the things that happened after that. Soon Hikaru comes to tease her again, this time asking if she's enjoying the pleasure of charming men. Ema angrily denies the accusation, but Hikaru remains calm and tells her that a "new stage" of the game is about to begin. Instead of explaining what that means, Hikaru asks Ema to make dinner for him.. and she agrees on the condition that he explains the meaning after eating dinner. Hikaru accepts the deal, so after eating the leftovers from today's BBQ, he shows Ema a scoreboard of "Brothers Conflict" — the latest version of November 2011. The scoreboard is divided into 13 rows and 3 columns, which he explains as "entry number", "group" and "dividend". Hikaru doesn't explain what "dividend" means, but it's basically what each brother has to pay in order to be with Ema. In other words, the one with the lowest "dividend" is the closest person to her.

Hikaru also says these numbers are pretty much meaningless since they fluctuate everyday, and since Ema doesn't understand what it means, he gives a hint for her to figure out — why didn't Kaname join them in this trip? Ema answers it's because he wants to help Yusuke with his studies, but Hikaru then says that Kaname is really kind.. that's why sometimes he lies for love. (´；ω；`) After Hikaru leaves, Ema starts thinking about why Kaname would lie to her, and it doesn't take long until she reaches the answer. Tsubaki, Rui and Fuuto are busy with work, and since Yusuke is busy studying in his room.. that only leaves Iori. Kaname must be staying in Tokyo because he wants to talk to Iori.

The next morning, Ema finds Ukyou — with his hair down — in the kitchen. She wants to help him preparing breakfast as usual, but he tells her to get some rest instead. Ema spent all night thinking about what Hikaru said to her, and Ukyou notices that she didn't get enough sleep last night. He asks if she has any worries, but since she can't answer his question, he decides to tell her a bit about his past. Back when he just became a lawyer, Ukyou erased his sleep time a lot in order to prepare for his trials, and that only led him to unsatisfactory results. Eventually he realized that in order to stay in the best condition, one needs to get enough rest and take a good care of their health. Ukyou says he'll listen to Ema's worries if she wants to, but for now he wants her to get some rest first. This makes Ema realize that she's not alone, and she also realizes that she needs to listen to what her brothers have to say if she wants to give them a proper answer. Following Ukyou's advice, Ema drinks the hot milk he made for her and returns to her room after saying goodnight to him.

That evening, Ema takes a walk around the villa after her nap. Her foot slips on a rock on the way back to the villa, but fortunately Subaru comes to catch her before she falls into the river. Ema knows she probably won't have another chance to talk to Subaru, so she asks him about what he wants to talk about. At first Subaru is reluctant, but then he asks if Ema knows about Japan's pro basketball league. It turns out Subaru got scouted, and he can become a pro if he accepts the offer. Ema is happy to hear the news, but Subaru only remains silent for a while.. and then he asks her to forgive him. The one who wants to recruit him is the Kyushu team, so he will have to move away if he takes the offer. It's too far away, and he wants her to forget his confession — he can't ask her to come and stay by his side. However, Subaru feels even more confused when his eyes meet Ema's. Despite what he just said, he loves her too much to let go.. and now he doesn't know what to do.

Ema actually feels happy to receive Subaru's feelings, so she finally asks him to give her more time. She can't answer his feelings yet, but she can say one thing for certain — she doesn't want him to give up on basketball. Distance won't be able to separate them if they love each other, but the offer to join the Kyushu team will fly away if he refuses.. so she wants him to grasp that chance and become a pro basketball player. After a short silence, Subaru smiles and thanks Ema for the answer. He didn't expect her to think about his future that much, and he feels really happy with her concern. Subaru then promises to become a first-class player, and he asks Ema to let him know when she finds the answer. Until then, he will be waiting for her while continuing his basketball career.

Late at night, Ema finds Azusa in the living room — talking to Tsubaki on the phone. He drops the call and apologizes for being so noisy at night, but she's more worried of interrupting their discussion instead. Azusa explains that they were only discussing about the script, and since Ema doesn't seem surprised, he asks if she already knew about the role. Ema honestly admits that she already heard about that from Natsume, though she immediately regrets revealing the truth because Azusa seems irritated. Azusa then takes Ema for a walk under the starry sky, where he explains that Tsubaki is working really hard on the role. Aside from giving it his all, Tsubaki is also maintaining the nuance Azusa created before he got hospitalized. Of course Tsubaki can adjust his acting to match Azusa's, but what he's doing right now is way beyond that level — he takes over the role and revives the feeling Azusa gave. Azusa then says that it's the real Tsubaki. Despite his usual demeanor, Tsubaki is a really straight and simple person who takes his job seriously. After seeing Tsubaki's passion, Azusa realizes that he needs to become Tsubaki's rival — both in work and in winning Ema's heart — because Tsubaki's wish is for Azusa to face him with all he's got.. and even though Azusa admits that he'll never win against Tsubaki's passion, he doesn't want to lose either. Or rather, he can't afford to lose.

Just then Ema suddenly sneezes, Azusa hugs her and asks if she's cold. Once again, Azusa says that he won't lose.. and then he kisses Ema's forehead as the proof of his determination — whispering that he loves her. The kiss reminds Ema of the night when Tsubaki first kissed her, and she realizes that Tsubaki and Azusa really do share the same soul.


	40. Volume 6 Chapter 19-3

**After #019 – Side Hikaru:** **[ Admiring the flower that will be plucked soon ]**

Back in the villa, Wataru comes to see Hikaru and takes a peek at his laptop screen. There he finds Brother Conflict's scoreboard, though he obviously doesn't know what it means. Since normal explanation probably won't work on Wataru, Hikaru then retells the situation by using different words. He explains that there are 13 princes who are fighting over a princess, and he asks Wataru to predict which one of the princes will win her heart. Wataru quickly points to prince no. 13 because he has a huge score on the last column, which he thinks is a column for "attack power" LOL. However, Wataru then says he feels sorry for the princes. They're brothers, and yet they have to fight against each other. Upon hearing this, Hikaru asks what would Wataru do if he's one of those princes. Will he give up on the princess for the sake of having peace with his brothers? Surprisingly, Wataru says he won't give up — because love is earnest and irreplaceable. Hikaru then praises Wataru for giving a great answer, and when Wataru says he's happy because Hikaru always says "mean things", Hikaru pinches his lips as the punishment. ﾌﾟｯ(※థэథ)∵.*.∵ Since Wataru is 100% ready to fight for Ema, Hikaru updates his "dividend" to 180. Wataru protests thinking prince no. 13 has grown weaker, but Hikaru simply says it's actually the opposite. Before leaving, Hikaru asks Wataru to deliver a message for Ema: "the odds are under revision."


	41. Volume 6 Chapter 20-1

**Before #020 – Side Iori: [ For Fuyuka ]**

On Christmas Eve, Iori is thinking about his relationship with Fuyuka and Ema. He believes that Ema and him are in love with each other, so he needs to answer her feelings. Looking back at his past, Iori truly loved Fuyuka and gave his everything for her. After she died, he wanted to commit suicide and follow her to the other world. When a certain someone gave him the cross saying it's Fuyuka's memento, Iori was really happy and tries to strangle himself with the long chain.. but that someone keeps "disturbing" their reunion. Iori has been living life in misery ever since, until fate finally brought him to Ema — whom he believes to be his destined one. At first Iori didn't have any particular opinion about Ema, but everything changed when she promised to stay by his side forever. Despite what she said during the summer festival, Iori still believes that Ema is deeply hurt after discovering her real identity. He also thinks that he's the only one who can save her because she loves him, but before he can answer her feelings, the two of them needs to talk to Fuyuka first. Fuyuka has taught him love, and now it's his turn to do the same to Ema.

On the way home, Iori finds Ema walking through the street. He happily thinks about how fate has lead him to find her again on this fateful night, and Ema has nothing to worry about since he's standing right here for her. Tonight Iori will declare his love for Ema in front of Fuyuka, so he needs to stop Ema and inform her about this.


	42. Volume 6 Chapter 20-2

**Chapter 20: [ Even the love that's full of lies ]**

In the evening of December 17, Ema is studying in her room when Masaomi invites her to have some tea. It's only a month away from the center exam, and he wonders if she has any other options beside Meiji University. When Ema mentions several girls university as her secondary options, Masaomi carefully asks if she has any intentions to take the entrance exam to Jouchi University.. but Ema clearly says no, knowing it would be too difficult for her anyway. Before Ema returns to her room, Masaomi suddenly asks if she has any plans for the 24th. Ema says she will be studying at home, but soon she realizes that Masaomi might be checking her plans because he wants to ask her out. (๑´ლ`๑) Masaomi realizes this too, and he blushes saying he only wants to make a Christmas party with everyone. When Ema says she'll join the party, Masaomi happily thanks her with a smile so wide it makes her blush.. and then he runs away upon realizing what he just did.

The next day, Ema takes a pre-test for the center exam in Meiji University. On her way home, she spots Kaname near the intersection of the Ochanomizu Station. Kaname is wearing a suit today, and he's looking at the river with a serious expression. He's really surprised when Ema goes over to call him, and even though he tries to conceal his reason for being here, he can't escape from her. Ema directly asks why he didn't join their trip to Nagano, and when Kaname says it's because he wants to help Yusuke with his studies, she says he's lying — he stayed in Tokyo to talk to Iori and she knows it. Knowing he can't lie to her anymore, Kaname gives up and admits that she's right. He tried talking to Iori when they were away, but sadly his attempt failed since Iori wouldn't listen to him at all. One of his workmates in the temple introduced him to a to a psychologist, and he went to have a consultation about Iori's case today. That's why he's here near the station. Kaname then gives Ema a new contact address and he tells her to save it under another name, asking her to contact him in this address if anything happens. He says this is all he can do for now, but he promises to protect her with all his life.

On December 24, Rui asks Ema to come to his salon. He can't attend their Christmas party, but he wants to arrange her hair and clothes for the event.. and for some reason, Masaomi also urges Ema to accept the invitation. Since they're ordering food and cake for the party, Yusuke offers to help taking care of the food delivery when Ema is away. After she's done explaining about what to do, he informs her that he's going to Meiji University as well. It might be difficult for him to get accepted, but he's going to give it his all. Yusuke then asks if Ema can help him with the parts he didn't understand, and she agrees since she still has some time before her appointment with Rui. Right after Yusuke leaves to get his textbook, Tsubaki enters the living room. He still has some work to do and only returns home to get a shower, but his tension is really low today. Instead of clinging to Ema like he usually would, Tsubaki only asks her to take a picture for him after Rui is done giving her a makeover. When Yusuke returns, Tsubaki sighs saying he really envies Yusuke.. because even if he got trampled and sidelined, Yusuke can always talk to Ema with the same feeling all the time. Then he lets out another sigh and leaves without explaining anything.

In Rui's salon, Ema learns that her outfit for the party is a present from Masaomi — that's why he asked her to accept Rui's offer. After he's done arranging her hair, Rui puts a cute ribbon hairband on Ema's hair and says it's a Christmas present from him. (人´∀`) ゜'・:* It's already past 7 PM when Ema leaves Rui's salon, but she decides to walk slowly since her hair will be ruined if she runs back to the mansion. Unfortunately, Ema never made it back to the mansion.. because Iori catches her along the way. Even though she dressed up for the Christmas party, Iori thanks her thinking she's dressing up for him. This year Christmas Eve falls on the night of a new moon, and Ema can't see Iori's expression since it's really dark.. but even though Iori's voice is really gentle, somehow Ema feels really scared of him. Iori then says he already got a car waiting for them, and this reminds Ema about Kaname's hidden contact address. She asks Iori to let her inform Ukyou first so their brothers won't disturb them later, and Iori watches her as she types a mail to "Ukyou" — informing him that she's going out with Iori. The mail address under the name "Ukyou" is, of course, Kaname's new address.. and as Iori guides her into the car, Ema can only hope that Kaname notices her mail.

After a while, Iori and Ema reaches a Christian graveyard. Iori asks Ema to wait as he takes a bouquet of white lilies from the back seat, and she uses this chance to check her phone. She finds a mail for "Ukyou" which says he doesn't know the location of the main dish — referring to her location at the moment — and she quickly replies that they're in a graveyard. Iori almost caught her and asks if she called someone, but she makes up an excuse by saying she only wants some light because it's really dark.. which successfully erases his suspicion. Iori then takes Ema to the deepest part of the graveyard, where he puts the bouquet in front of a grave and whispers "Merry Christmas, Fuyuka. You're beautiful." (´・ω・`) After a LONG silence, Iori eventually thanks Fuyuka and stands up — telling Ema that Fuyuka has given her permission. Iori then hugs Ema saying they can finally become one, and he whispers "I love you" into her ears. However, Ema notices that Iori doesn't look happy at all. In fact, he look so sad it pains her to reject him.. but she knows she needs to stop this misunderstanding. Ema stops Iori just before he kisses her, but before she could explain anything, Kaname suddenly appears and separates them — shielding Ema from Iori.

The moment Ema sees the change in Iori's expression, she immediately regrets calling Kaname here. When Iori says he's not seeking for salvation, Kaname tells him that he's still living in the past. Despite his denial, Iori is still chasing after Fuyuka's shadow. Kaname asks Iori to admit it already, but after yet another long silence.. Iori suddenly punches Kaname in the gut and asks him to admit his lies too. Σ(Д｀|||ノ)ノ Iori then takes out his silver cross and asks if Kaname still remembers what he said back then. Kaname said it's a memento from Fuyuka. Iori was happy thinking he can be reunited with Fuyuka by using the cross, but Kaname always came to stop him whenever he tried to commit suicide. After a while, Iori realized that the chain of the cross is too long for Fuyuka.. which means that Kaname lied to him. Iori then says that Kaname's lies only brought more pain for him, and he puts the chain of the cross around Kaname's neck — strangling him saying he won't lose to all those lies. Iori asks Kaname to bless his relationship with Ema as a clergy, but Kaname gathers his breath and refuses — saying he can't hand his sister to Iori. Iori calmly says he understands, and he pulls the chain to strangle Kaname even more. When Iori thanks Kaname for all the lies he's given, Ema notices that Kaname suddenly stops resisting. Kaname then looks her way and gives her a faint smile, and that's when Ema realizes that Kaname is planning to die here in Iori's hands. Knowing that she can't let Kaname die, Ema screams at Iori to stop.

Since Iori refuses to understand Kaname's actions, Ema tells him that Kaname lies in order to protect the people he loves. Iori doesn't believe that a lie can protect anyone, so Ema reveals that she's been lying to him as well. She didn't lie through words like Kaname did, but she lied to him through her actions. Ema then says she should have rejected Iori's kiss back then, and that she's been lying to him through that kiss. Iori is taken aback upon hearing everything, and he asks if that means Ema actually doesn't love him. His sad expression really hurts her heart, but she knows she needs to make it clear.. so she clearly answers that she doesn't love him and can't go out with him. Since Iori still finds it hard to believe, Ema also explains that he took her words the wrong way back when he was hospitalized. It was her fault for not making it clear to him, and she admits that she's been lying to him ever since. Ema then apologizes for lying to him all this time, but Iori quietly says he understands. Everyone has been lying to him, so he's going to get over his past alone — without anyone's help. Iori then takes his cross and walks away, disappearing through the gate as the morning sun appears in the eastern sky.

After Iori is gone, Ema rushes over to Kaname and asks if he's alright. She tries to comfort him by saying Iori will be alright, but he doesn't seem to share her confidence regarding that issue. While it's true that Iori won't misunderstand Ema's actions anymore, Kaname sadly apologizes saying he couldn't do anything after all. He couldn't protect Iori, failed to save him, and coudln't do anything to protect Ema. In the end, the one who kept Ema unharmed was none other than herself. On top of failing to protect them, Kaname was about to throw his own life for Iori too.. which would only drag Iori deeper into the darkness. When Kaname says he can't do anything despite his promise to save Iori, Ema tells him that it's not true. The one who understands Iori the most is Kaname, and he's the only one who can take Iori out of his misery. Kaname smiles upon hearing this, and he thanks Ema saying her words make him feel that he can really do it. However, Ema realizes something here.

Kaname's gentle smile.

It's the expression he makes when he's lying to protect someone.


	43. Volume 6 Chapter 20-3

**After #020 – Side Iori: [ Love will always last ]**

After leaving Ema and Kaname, Iori walks to a cliff near the graveyard. He has lost his reason to keep on living, so he's ready to throw his life away.. but then he notices the cross sparkling on his chest. When he realized it, his feet has stopped moving towards the cliff.


	44. Volume 7 Chapter 21-1

**Chapter 21-1: [ Unfulfilled wish and connected hearts ]**

On the way to school, Yusuke asks if Ema is okay. She's obviously not okay after what happened on Christmas Eve, but she tells him she's fine and asks about his center exam result instead. It turns out he already tried grading his own exam, and the result is — for the lack of better words — quite terrible. He's not bothered at all though, as he only took the center exam since Ukyou wouldn't stop bothering him about it. He only has one goal, and that's Meiji University. He got a "D" in the mock exam, but he also knows that he wouldn't be able to handle so much studying, so he decided to bet everything in a single exam. While Yusuke seems satisfied about his future plans, things aren't going so well for Ema. Her exam result isn't as good as she expected, and she's thinking of changing her target university. It'd be hard to enter Meiji University with her current grades. However, Yusuke asks her to stop. Her mock exam results have been good up until now, and he knows that she's way smarter than him.. so he doesn't want her to give up after a single failure. Especially not before she takes the entrance exam itself. After a long silence, Yusuke takes off the "safe delivery" charm around his neck and gives it to Ema. He tells her that God can be mean, but wishes that truly came from one's heart will always be granted — it's a reward for those who never give up. Yusuke's words instantly warms up Ema's heart.

After what happened on Christmas Eve, Iori rarely shows himself in front of Ema. The same goes for Kaname, who now spends most of his time outside. Of course the others noticed their behavior, and this created a tense atmosphere at home. Ema feels really bad since she was involved, and even more because she knows the conflict can't be resolved that easily. Yusuke's words remind her that no matter how hard it gets, there will always be a way as long as she doesn't give up. She tells him that she will take the exam to Meiji University after all. As they run off to school, Yusuke subconsciously grabs Ema's hand and blushes upon realizing what he's done. He quickly lets go and apologizes, but she holds his hand again — quietly thanking him in her heart.

When February comes by, Ema is busy with studying. She took entrance exams to several universities, but her main goal is to be accepted into Meiji University. Ukyou tells her that he'll take care of the household until the exams are over, so she can use her time to study. By this time Ema has realized that it's impossible to do everything by herself, and she knows that relying on other people is just as important. One week before Meiji University's entrance exam, Subaru comes to see Ema. He informs her that he officially got accepted into the pro team, and he's going to Kyushu next week for final adjustments. He will be away for two weeks, so by the time he returns, the exam period should be over. Of course Ema is happy to hear the good news, and she tells him that she'll do his best to get accepted. Subaru says he'll be happy to have her as his junior, and he's about to say something else.. but he decides not to disturb her studying time any further. Before leaving, Subaru tells Ema that he'll be waiting for her in Meiji University.

Time passed, and the day of the exam results announcement eventually comes. Yusuke finds Ema's number on the board, but they can't seem to find his number. However, he knows he did prettty well in the entrance exam. He never thought he could go that far, so despite this failure, he has faith in himself. Right after the exam, he has decided that even if he fails, he's going to take the entrance exam again next year. Yusuke promises that he'll get accepted next year, so he wants Ema to wait for him in Meiji University. He doesn't want her to be sad about his failure, and he's sincerely wishing for her to be happy about her own result. The tense air at home is painful for him too, so he's hoping that her success can light up the atmosphere. As they walk home, Ema thanks Yusuke for caring so much about her. He blushes and runs off, with her following him from behind.


	45. Volume 7 Chapter 21-2

**Chapter 21-2: ** **[ Overflowing emotions are clashing ]**

The next day, Natsume invites Ema to an amusement park in Minato Mirai, Yokohama. It's new and not open for public yet, but he's giving her a ticket to be a tester for his company's new games — the reward for passing the entrance exam. Of course she kicks his ass 20 times in a row, and he eventually gets pissed since they're using Tsubaki and Azusa's voice for the commanders.. which makes him feel like Tsubaki's raging at him for being so weak LOL. When Ema says she wants to play the game with their brothers, Natsume asks if she wants to kick everyone's butts at once. ﾌﾟｯ(※థэథ)∵.*.∵ Here, Ema mentions that Subaru seems to be good in action games since his reflexes are good enough to get him into the pro team.. and Natsume is surprised to hear this. After having dinner, Natsume drives Ema back to the mansion. He actually has something to say to her, but he decides to save it for next time. However, Ema can tell that Natsume wants to say something important. She doesn't know when they can meet again, so she asks him what it is. He admits that it's indeed important, but he just can't say it after hearing about Subaru's achievement. Natsume is impressed that Subaru got recruited into the pro team, especially since there was a time when he got removed from the regulars. He can't help but feel pathetic, and that's why he can't tell Ema what he wanted to say.

Natsume then tells Ema that back in the past, he used to be an ekiden / relay marathon athlete. He even participated in Hakone Ekiden, but he gave up and stopped running — unlike Subaru. While most of his ex-teammates took the challenge to compete in world-class marathon, he decided to start working instead. In a company that has nothing to do with running. Now he can't help but feel like a half-assed fool who doesn't deserve her, though he quickly asks her to forget about this. Knowing that Natsume is telling her to go, Ema then gets out of his car and walks back to the mansion. She knows he was probably thinking of confessing, but she decides not to ask and wait until he's ready to say it. As she approaches the mansion, Ema sees Subaru in the entrance hall. He turns around and smiles when she calls him, which makes her realize that he officially made it into the pro team. Subaru then starts walking towards Ema, but suddenly a voice stops her from behind. Before she could tell what's happening, Natsume hugs Ema saying he can't hold back after all. He's aware that he's a pathetic man, but he can't erase his feelings for her. When she looks up, he's about to confess that he loves her.. but they suddenly hear Subaru's voice from behind. He tells Natsume to stay away from Ema, and without giving any chance for Natsume to recover from the shock, he punches Natsume in the face. Just then the rain starts falling, and Ema can see that Subaru clenches his fists as he looks down at Natsume.


	46. Volume 7 Chapter 22

**Chapter 22: [ Towards the fading back ]**

After a long silence, Natsume looks up and wipes blood from his lips. Subaru angrily asks what he did Ema, and Natsume turns around to look at her. When their eyes met, Ema suddenly remembers the night she spent in Natsume's apartment — reviving the sensation she felt when he hugged her. Reverting his gaze back at Subaru, Natsume admits that he's in love with Ema. He says he's serious about her, and this causes Subaru to snap. Ema stares in shock as Subaru leaps to punch Natsume again, but this time, Natsume grabs Subaru's hands and stops him from doing this in front of Ema. Eventually Subaru puts down his fists and walks back to take his belongings at the entrance hall. He glances at Ema as he walks past her, but he doesn't say anything. Natsume also apologizes to Ema, saying he didn't know that Subaru was there. All he could think about earlier was to stop her. Ema remains silent, and Natsume walks her back to her room. He then excuses himself since he's drenched from head to toe, but she invites him to come inside and wait until his clothes dry off.

As he walks into Ema's room, Natsume feels nostalgic because the room used to be his until he left the mansion. Back then the room was messy, with jumping ropes, clothes and sports uniforms scattered all over the place. Since Natsume needs to dry his pants too, Ema leaves to get the first aid kit from the living room. Along the way Ema feels embarrassed because she was the one who invited Natsume into her room, not to mention it's right after he confessed that he loves her.. but she tries not to think about this. After treating his own wound, Natsume asks if he can talk to Ema for a while. The subject is none other than Subaru. Natsume knows Ema must be surprised to see Subaru punching him like that, but Subaru has a reason to do that. Ever since he was small, Subaru has problems getting along with everyone around him. He doesn't share any interests with people around his age, such as Tsubaki, Azusa, Rui or Iori. Subaru spent most of his time alone, but he naturally got along well with Natsume since both of them love sports. Whenever Natsume was training at home, Subaru would come to join him. They were really close, and Natsume became Subaru's "coach". He gave Subaru a lot of advice, and Subaru listened to everything he said. However, their relationship took a turn for the worst when he quit running.

Subaru was really shocked, and so he came to ask why Natsume decided to stop running. However, Natsume didn't explain the reason to Subaru. It's hard to make a living through sports. They don't know how long they can keep doing it, and it'd be difficult to plan things out once they retire — especially in tracks and fields. That was the reason why Natsume decided to start working, but he didn't want to tell Subaru about this because the latter was already into basketball back then. Subaru was improving a lot, and Natsume didn't want to destroy his enjoyment by saying "you can't make a living with that." Sadly this only causes Subaru to think that Natsume threw sports away. Subaru stopped listening to Natsume's advice and has been avoiding him ever since. Despite this, Natsume is worried about him. Subaru had a weak mental which held him back during matches, so Natsume kept giving him advice about this.. but in the end his advice were useless, as Subaru managed to overcome this flaw thanks to Ema. He improved for the girl he loves, and his effort eventually brought him to the pro team. Losing her means he's going to lose his life support and motivation, and that's why he was so angry to see her with Natsume. He can't bear the thought of losing her.

Ema is surprised, but more than anything, she can see that Natsume cares a lot about Subaru. It's similar to how Azusa was so worried about Tsubaki when he was hospitalized, or how Kaname risked his life to save Iori. Even if Subaru hates him, Natsume keeps giving him advice — hoping it can lead him towards success. They're all the same. Despite all the conflicts that happened between them, the brothers still share a strong bond. Natsume asks Ema not to hate Subaru, and he turns around to leave. She doesn't expect him to end the conversation here because he clearly has something else to tell her, but when she asks if this is all he wants to say.. he apologizes since it's impossible for him to continue. Not after what happened with Subaru. Natsume admits that he's really confused, and he leaves after thanking Ema for today.

From then, Ema spends her days spacing out on her bed. The next Sunday, Yusuke comes to talk to her. He shyly hands her a letter which turns out to be the result announcement for those who are in the waiting list, and it states that he got accepted into Meiji University. Ema happily congratulates him, but Yusuke still can't believe it himself. He asks if he really passed the exam like she did, and she laughs when he asks if those who were in the waiting list will be placed into a different group. Even after Ema explains the system, Yusuke still finds it hard to believe. He smiles and admits that his greatest happiness comes from entering the same university as her, and she feels happy when he mutters that people have to keep moving forward — no matter how hard it gets. For this one week Ema has been afraid of where Subaru and Natsume's conflict will lead up to, but Yusuke's words have opened her eyes again. If she can't find a good way to resolve everything, then she needs to move forward with a solution she can come up with. Ema snaps out of her reverie when Yusuke tells her that he won't give up. All this time he felt insignificant compared to his brothers, but he won't back down now that he's gained confidence. Yusuke then holds out his hand, asking Ema to keep taking care of him from now on, and she gladly shakes it. She doesn't know that he was talking about her, but his sincere feelings really do reach her heart.

After talking to Yusuke, Ema goes to get some food on the 5th floor. There she runs into Wataru, and the two of them end up playing a racing game. Natsume gave it to her at the end of last year, but Ema stored it away so she wouldn't get addicted in the middle of the exam period. He did warn her that it's hard, so she's afraid that it might be a bit too difficult for Wataru.. but Wataru sulks saying he's not a kid anymore. He's going to enter junior high this year. Just as she feared, he keeps on losing and refuses to give up. Wataru also tells Ema not to lose on purpose, as he wants to win against her fair and square — he wants her to acknowledge him as a man. At the same time, Juli is cackling in the corner of the room. Since Wataru always makes a move on Ema, he's happy to see the poor kid losing. He believes that Wataru will grow up to be an evil like his brothers, so he tells Ema to "crush" him before then. ｡ﾟ(ﾟﾉ∀｀ﾟ)ﾟ｡ｱﾋｬﾋｬ Luckily, Rui soon comes to put off Juli's rage. He also reminds Ema that the "Protect Chii-chan Club" will always be on her side, so she can always rely on them if she has any worries. That being said, he wants her to know that nobody in this house wants to trouble her. They all love her, so she should trust them more. Ema has realized that she needs to make a decision, and she has to believe that everyone will accept that decision. Rui's words also make her realize that she has to think about who she truly loves, otherwise she won't be able to answer their feelings. As Ema thanks Rui for the advice, they can hear Wataru sulking in front of the TV. The word "CONTINUE?" is floating on the screen.

In the evening, Ema decides to go out so she can think alone. She soon hears voices in front of the elevator, and there she finds Tsubaki and Azusa — discussing about the latter's role. Ema actually wants to avoid everyone until she sort out her feelings, but it's too late. They have realized her presence, and she has no choice but to approach them. Azusa explains that they're heading out for work in different studios, but he's giving Tsubaki a ride so the latter can read his script along the way. When the elevator comes, Tsubaki receives a call from the producer and starts discussing about work. Ema is surprised to see this, because Tsubaki usually would come to talk to her or give her a hug.. but right now he's completely devoted to work. Noticing Ema's expression, Azusa admits that he's actually just as surprised. Ever since he agreed to become Azusa's substitute, Tsubaki has been working really hard. He always takes his job seriously, but now it feels like he's really aiming to become the best. Ema thinks it's because he managed to get his dream role, but Azusa chuckles saying it's probably due to a different reason. He asks if she's still angry for what Tsubaki did, and when she says no, he asks her to look at the current Tsubaki too. Azusa also knows that Ema wants to avoid them in order to make a decision, and he's ready to accept her decision.. but he wants her to look at the change in Tsubaki. It's the first time Tsubaki has ever gotten so serious and passionate, which makes him much more charming than he used to be. Before leaving the mansion, Ema hears Tsubaki happily telling Azusa that the producer allows him to act the way he wants to.

An hour later, Ema returns to the mansion and bumps into Subaru on the elevator. Things are obviously still awkward between them, and he tells her that he's going out for practice. As he picks up the bags he dropped, Subaru also says that he won't come home for a while. Ema is surprised, and she chases after Subaru asking for an explanation. After letting out a heavy sigh, Subaru turns around and says that he's just following her words. A few months ago she asked him to keep basketball and her separate, and that's what he's doing now. He needs more practice to prepare himself for the pro team, and Meiji University provides all the things he needs — such as accommodation and meals. Ema knows Subaru is hiding something because he won't look into her eyes, but before she could figure out the reason, he asks her to forget everything he ever said to her. Subaru then says that he didn't want to say it either, but he feels guilty for punching Natsume. It was Natsume who taught him everything about sports, and yet he punched Natsume right in front of the girl he loves. He can't forgive himself, and he wants her to forget everything because a man like him won't be able to make her happy. Once again Subaru picks up his bags and walks past Ema, stopping for a second when she calls his name.. but then he leaves without turning back. Shocked, Ema can only watch Subaru's back until he disappears from her sight. She feels empty upon realizing what just happened, and her tears start flowing out.


	47. Volume 7 Chapter 23-1

**Chapter 23:** **[ The flame of love is burning ] **

On her graduation day, Ema is looking at the falling cherry blossom petals. Every year she sees the same scenery in spring, but it's not the same as the petals she saw three years ago. A lot has happened during the last three years, and she shares most of those memories with her stepbrothers. Ema has been thinking for the last few months, and she has finally found an answer. She doesn't know if it's the best answer, but her decision is firm. All she needs to do now is to tell everyone about this. As Ema walks through the street, a voice calls her asking if she has time to talk.. and she turns around to find Iori standing beside her. It's been a while since the last time they saw each other, but today Iori came to apologize. He knows what he did was unforgivable, so he won't ask her to forgive him. He only wants to give her an apology, as well as congratulating her on her graduation. Iori also asks if she's going to Meiji University, and Ema apologizes for not choosing Jouchi University.. but he says she made the right decision. He has realized that he needs more time to recover from his past, but he's happy to see her today. It gives him the confidence to start over. Iori then takes his leave, but he doesn't tell Ema about his destination. He only tells her that he needs a little more time, but he promises that he'll return home one day.

Upon reaching the mansion, Ema finds Kaname in front of the entrance. He usually dresses in sparkling flashy outfits, but today he's simply wearing his monk attire. She notices that he has a lot of luggage around his feet, and he tells her that he's going out for a while — to the mountain. At first she thinks he's going out for a hike, but then he explains that he's going to take a training as a monk. Before she could recover from the shock, Kaname tells Ema that Iori has left the mansion. Iori's room is now empty, without any furniture or clothes left behind. Ema finds it hard to believe since she just met Iori earlier, but Kaname knows about this. Last night, Iori came to see him. He said he wants to be alove for a while, but he wanted to apologize to her before leaving. Kaname didn't stop him knowing Iori's decision is firm, and he believes this is the best option for them. In the end, he couldn't do anything as an older brother.

Kaname feels that if only he's more reliable, he would be able to do something before Iori reached desperation. He concluded that he needs more training, and so he decided to leave as well — apologizing to Ema since he won't be able to help her for a while. When Ema asks him not to blame himself so much, Kaname smiles saying he feels like cancelling his training.. but she can see that his decision won't change. It's the expression he makes when he's lying to protect someone's feelings. He's going to train himself until he can be a good big brother, and he wants her to understand. Holding back her tears, Ema asks if there's anything she can do for him.. and Kaname asks her to call him "onii-chan" just once. Noticing that Ema looks surprised, Kaname laughs saying it's impossible after all. For now, he's just glad that he can stop her tears. Kaname then turns around to leave, and Ema finally calls him "onii-chan!" from behind. He stops for a while, but then he continues walking without looking back. After he leaves, she cries alone since everyone is leaving. First Subaru, Iori, and now Kaname is gone too.

Not too long after that, Rui finds Ema — still in tears — in front of the entrance. She quickly wipes her tears saying she wasn't crying, and Rui decides not to ask further. Instead, he invites her to eat cakes together in his room. He tells her that spring is a very busy season for beauticians like him, so he eats three cakes and gives the rest to her. After they're done eating, Rui tells Ema that he lost two regular customers who are moving away. They came to inform him about this, and it makes him happy. Not because they took the time to see him before leaving, but because they promised to visit him again. The painful thing isn't separation, but the end it brings. People will always return to see those who are important for them, so he wants to be a person who can stay in their hearts. He spends his time waiting for their return, and that's what makes him happy. Upon hearing this, Ema suddenly feels warm inside. She realizes that everyone's leaving because they don't want things to end in a bad way, so they're trying to do something in their own ways. Tsubaki and Azusa made up not because they're close, but because both of them did their best to fix the situation. Right now Subaru, Iori and Kaname are trying to do the same thing, and Ema knows she needs to do her best too. On the other side of the table, Rui smiles and wishes Ema good luck.

After leaving Rui's room, Ema runs into Tsubaki and Azusa on the 4th floor. They don't have work in the evening, and they invite her to visit the amusement park with them — it's to celebrate her graduation too. At first Ema is reluctant, but she agrees since it's a good chance to tell them about her answer. Before they go home, Ema invites them to watch the parade. They know that she wants to talk to them, so they take her to watch it from the quiet viewing platform. There Ema finally tells Tsubaki and Azusa that she can't return their feelings right now, and she apologizes to both of them. After a short silence, Tsubaki answers that he understands while Azusa thanks Ema for telling them. They stand beside her as they watch the parade below, completely setting their gaze at the lively attraction. However, Ema soon feels that Tsubaki and Azusa are holding her hands from both sides.. and the next thing she hears is their voices whispering into her ears at the same time. They tell her that they accept her answer, but they want her to know that despite her rejection, both of them are still in love with her.

Tsubaki, Azusa and Ema remain silent on the way home. They reach the mansion at 10 PM, and Tsubaki finally breaks the silence upon seeing Subaru in front of Ema's room. Subaru is surprised to see them together, but then he explains that he returned to apologize to Ema. He also explains that he punched Natsume in front of her, admitting that he did such a thing because he loves her. Subaru then bows his head and apologizes to Ema, but Tsubaki tells him not to get ahead of himself. Azusa quickly stops him from lashing out on Subaru, but he adds that it's hard to accept Subaru's actions — both as a man and as a brother. They want an explanation as of why he punched Natsume, but they'll leave him with Ema for now. After they leave, Subaru apologizes to Ema once again. He was really confused back then, and he wanted some time to sort out his feelings. He realized that what he did was really selfish, and he didn't even notice that he was hurting her. Subaru then tells Ema that he loves her, and his feelings won't change even if she hates him. Since Ema is too surprised to answer, eventually Subaru says he'll return to the university. She quickly stops him, and he looks relieved when she thanks him for confessing. He congratulates her on her graduation, telling her that he'll be waiting in Meiji University before leaving.

Late at night, Ema is thinking about everything that has happened today. She strangely feels calm, but she knows it's not over yet — she still needs to tell Natsume about her decision. The next day, Ema wakes up early and finds Ukyou in the kitchen. It's the day of her graduation ceremony, and they're going to have a family party afterwards. Ukyou needs to leave for work, but he's going to make it in time to attend the ceremony. When Ema thanks him, Ukyou mentions that she has a good expression. He's been worried since she's growing up to be an adult, so it would be rude to tell her about what to do from now on.. and yet all of his brothers seem to be troubling her recently. However, Ema asks Ukyou not to worry. She's going to deal with them by herself, and from her expression, he knows she's going to be just fine.

After the graduation ceremony, Ema and Yusuke return home in the evening. When they enter the living room, they're greeted by the sound of party crackers and colorful confetti. Masaomi congratulates both of them, while Wataru hands a big bouquet of flowers for Ema — as well as giving her a kiss on the cheek. He innocently asks if she's happy to receive his first kiss, and Yusuke immediately strangles him for doing such a thing. ﾌﾟｯ(※థэథ)∵.*.∵ The others are just as surprised, so nobody gives the poor kid any attention as he runs around seeking protection LOL. During the party, Ema keeps glancing at Natsume to see if she can talk to him.. but he's busy talking to Tsubaki and Azusa. Soon she receives a mail from Fuuto, who tells her to watch a certain channel on TV. The camera shows a close-up of him, and naturally this attracts everyone's attention towards the TV. It turns out Fuuto is currently participating in a live show, and they asked him to send a mail for someone. When the presenter asks about the "lucky person" who received his mail, Fuuto says it's for his big sister since it's her graduation day. For the next part of the show, Fuuto has to give a direct message for Ema on TV. After congratulating her, Fuuto promises to keep giving Ema "fun" days from now on.. but then he adds another message for the "idiots" who are aiming for her. He says they're dreaming if they think they can obtain her, since they never entered her field of vision to begin with.

Before Ema could realize what's happening, someone turns the TV off and throws the remote control onto the floor. She doesn't know who did that, because everyone in the room are either pissed or sighing. Everyone except Hikaru, who's obviously enjoying this development. Fuuto's message has ruined everyone's mood, and they start leaving one by one. Natsume gets up to smoke in the terrace, so Ema takes this chance to talk to him. When Ema tells Natsume that she has found her answer, he knows that it must be related to his indirect confession. She actually wanted to wait until he says it directly, but she wants him to know that she has decided not to date anyone right now. After a long, painful silence, Natsume eventually says he understands, but Ema isn't done yet. She couldn't tell anyone else about this, but she wants him to know why she made this decision. Natsume looks surprised, and he asks why she chose him.. and Ema answers it's because he understands her the most. He's not sure if he has the right to listen, but he decides to listen since he can't refuse her request.

Here, Ema tells Natsume that she thinks of them as her family. She's happy to receive their affection, but in her eyes, they're all her brothers. She doesn't know what to do because choosing one of them means rejecting the rest, and it might affect their relationship as a family. She's aware that her vague attitude is only causing the situation to turn worse, so she decided to stop behaving that way and make things clear for everyone. She also thought about which one of them does she truly love, but she can't find the answer yet. However, she did realize that she currently values her family bond more than a romantic relationship. She's a part of the Asahina family too, so when she finds the person she loves, she wants everyone to give her their blessings. After a while, Natsume smiles saying he understands. He thanks her for telling him everything, and he asks her to take care of him as a family from now on.. but then he mutters that it's impossible. He can't see her as a sister. The next second, Natsume suddenly kisses Ema on the neck. He can accept her rejection, but it doesn't change his feelings — he's still in love with her. Then he leaves without saying anything else.

Soon after Natsume returns inside, Hikaru comes out of the corner. He greets her with a mischievous smile, telling her that she made a mistake. Even if Natsume understands her, Ema shouldn't forget the fact that he's a man. Of course Ema is surprised and asks if he's been watching the whole time, but Hikaru calmly replies that he was the first one who came to the terrace. He went out to smoke too. Hikaru promises not to tell anyone about what he just saw, but he tells Ema that she miscalculated the result. Even though she wants to put an end to things by rejecting everyone, it might cause their love to burn even stronger — much to his amusement. That's exactly why Tsubaki, Azusa and Natsume all confessed to her again right after she turned them down. Hikaru tells Ema not to worry since she didn't do anything wrong, but they can't predict what's going to happen later. He then takes out Brothers Conflict's scoreboard he showed her a few months ago, and he sets it aflame saying they don't need it anymore. Because "the second race" is going to start soon. Hikaru smiles saying Brothers Conflict will continue, and he's going to join in for the second round. He laughs and asks Ema to enjoy her peace for now, then he leaves her in confusion.

It's been two years since Ema became a part of the Asahina family.

She can feel that her third year in the family will be even harder than before.


	48. Volume 7 Chapter 23-2

**After #023 – Side Natsume: [ Bitter memories, sweet destiny ]**

A week after the party, Natsume is smoking at the parking lot beside the mansion. He wants to apologize for what he did, and he's thinking about what he should say to her. She rejected him not because she hates him, but because she thinks of them as her family. He doesn't feel bitter because it means she's not rejecting them completely. The problem is what he did to her after that. She said that he understands her the most, and he completely betrayed that feeling by kissing her on the neck. Natsume actually wanted to apologize sooner, but he's been busy with work recently. Up until now he's been working in the management division, but he got transferred to the development team this spring. It's a completely different job, so he has to attend a lot of meetings that drag on until late hours. He didn't have much free time because of this, making it harder for him to see her. From the entrance, Natsume can see that Ema is in her room. Just then someone says he's blocking the way, and he turns around to find Fuuto nearby — wearing casual clothes with a hat and glasses. He's just as sarcastic as usual, and when Natsume tells him not to behave that way, he asks if Natsume's trying to act like a good big brother. Before scolding him, Natsume should reflect on what he did to Ema first. Fuuto keeps teasing Natsume knowing that he came here to see Ema, but Natsume holds back his emotions and calmly explains that he wants to inform Ema about his transfer.

Upon hearing this, Fuuto sighs and asks why Natsume goes that far for Ema. Is it because she's using his old room, so he feels that they're connected by destiny? The word "destiny" revives all the memories Natsume shared with Ema up until now, which makes him realize that he's not the only one who remembers those things — she does too. He only needs to believe in her, and all of his worries are vanishing into thin air. Fuuto goes ･･･(ﾟдﾟ )ﾊ? when Natsume smiles and thanks him, but Natsume only asks if he can take Fuuto's message — the one that got aired on TV — as a war declaration. Fuuto looks surprised for a moment, but then he smiles saying he'll take Natsume on anytime. Natsume says he accepts the challenge, and after a short silence, Fuuto grins and asks if he knows who he's challenging. Natsume sincerely thinks Fuuto has a good smile, in the sense that it makes him want to crush it with all his might. ヽ(*´ー`*)ﾉ Instead of going inside, Natsume turns around to leave. Fuuto asks if he's not going to see Ema, but he says it's not necessary anymore. He'll come to see her when it's necessary, and now it's not the time to do so. He believes that destiny is linking them together, and that will bring him towards victory.


	49. Volume 7 Chapter 24

**Before 2nd Season – Side You:** **[ Since it became the day when I decided not to run away ]**

On a sunny day, Ema goes to visit her parents' graves with Rintarou. The small graveyard is surrounded by trees, located in the outskirt of Tokyo. Tomorrow is the opening ceremony of Meiji University, so Rintarou returned to Japan to attend the event. Now that she's become a university student, he asked if she wants to report this to her real parents.. and that's why they go to visit their graves today. Rintarou is happy that Ema got accepted into Meiji University, and he asks if Subaru is still playing basketball. He's really surprised when she tells him that Subaru joined the pro team, because he mainly keeps in contact with everyone via phone and Miwa never told him about this. As they walk through the graveyard, Ema receives two mails. The first mail contains a picture of Wataru in his junior high uniform, with a shiny Juli standing on his shoulder. The second one is a game release date list from Natsume. He already informed her about his transfer, and despite his busy schedule, he always sends a list of games that might fit her gaming taste.

Upon reaching the graves, Ema learns that her parents — Kenji and Yukie — were both orphans, so there are no other graves around theirs. The first thing they realize is that their graves are really clean, even though the small graveyard doesn't have a caretaker. All the graves are taken care of their families, so Rintarou is surprised to see this. However, Ema realizes something. She asks if Miwa knows about this, and Rintarou answers that he did told Miwa about her parents. That's when Ema figures out who's been cleaning her parents' graves. It was the person who went to his father's grave on Rintarou and Miwa's wedding day — Kaname. He must have heard about the opening ceremony, so he came to deliver the news to her parents. This also reminds her about Iori. Both of them never contacted her ever since they left the mansion.. but they're a family. She believes that they will return one day, and she will keep waiting for them. As they put flowers on the graves, Rintarou also informs Ema that Hikaru is preparing to write a new novel. The story is about a girl who's surrounded by a lot of men, and she can only wonder what he's planning to do. They pray in front of the graves after that, and Ema can feel that Rintarou respects her father a lot.

When they return to the parking lot, Ema receives a call from Yusuke. He tells her that Ukyou has an important client tomorrow, so he won't be able to attend the opening ceremony. Yusuke apologizes for disturbing her grave visit, and he drops the call after confirming when they're going to come home. When Ema tells Rintarou about this, he smiles saying they have a good family. At first he was worried to let her live among the Asahina brothers, but now he knows that he doesn't have to worry. She feels a bit sad upon hearing this, but she decides not to tell Rintarou about what has happened between them. After all, she has decided to deal with this on her own. They're a family and siblings, but also a woman and men. As Rintarou drives them home, Ema closes her eyes and asks her parents to watch over her. She doesn't know what's going to happen next, but she won't run away from anything. It might be difficult, but she wants to make a happy future for everyone. Tonight she's going to make a feast to show her gratitude, and Rintarou laughs when she starts muttering the ingredients for dinner.


End file.
